Janice Nahra Friedel

Current Developments in Community College Performance Funding.

Since the initiation of performance funding in Tennessee in the late 1970s, approximately 30 states have, at some point, attempted a funding model that includes performance on a set of indicators. The purpose of the present study was to capture the current status of performance funding in public statewide community college systems and to assess which performance indicators were collected at the state level. Data were obtained through the 2012 Survey of Finance and Access Issues conducted by the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama. The survey was administered to the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges, and 50 responses were obtained from 49 states. Not every survey respondent answered each survey item. Findings showed that 19 states used performance funding for community colleges, with six of those states allocating at least 10% of state funds based on performance. An analysis of indicators captured at the state level (not exclusively for performance funding) showed a decline of emphasis on process indicators and greater emphasis on outputs. The performance-based distribution of base funding and the inclusion of output measures that capture intermediate indicators of success are consistent with the principles of Performance Funding 2.0, a new form of performance funding recently discussed in the literature. Future research should include tracking the current findings over time and expanding the existing literature on whether performance funding influences outcomes.

The New Norm: Community Colleges to Deal with Recessionary Fallout

Since the beginning of the Great Recession, many community colleges have experienced significant declines in state revenue, increases in enrollment, higher tuition, and flat or declining state student aid. These conditions have also occurred in an environment of heightened accountability with pressure to advance a student success agenda and to meet workforce training needs. Findings from the annual survey of state community college directors conducted by the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, in partnership with Iowa State University and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, show that the majority of state directors feel states are moving toward a privatized model of higher education and that structural deficits exist in state budgets disadvantaging community colleges. The concern is that these and other related findings demonstrate a situation that may not improve as the nation climbs out of recession; this situation is creating a new norm in community college funding.

The Role of Career and Technical Education in Iowa Community Colleges

ABSTRACT This scholarly paper describes and analyzes the role of career and technical education (CTE) in Iowa community colleges. Iowas community colleges are doing a good job of responding to the changing workforce needs of the state and providing smooth career pathways. However, changes in the population and economy of the state will call for further changes in CTE programs. The distinctive characteristics of CTE in Iowa community colleges, the impact of community college CTE programs on the states economy, the role of accountability, and the future implications for CTE in the state are discussed. Recommendations based on the results of the study include improving articulation agreements, increasing retention among at-risk students, and increasing collaboration among Iowas 15 community colleges.

Differential Tuition: A Community College Budgetary Strategy

Community colleges are currently facing the perfect fiscal storm: historical reductions in state appropriations while at the same time experiencing significant enrollment growth. Community college leaders are pondering how to effectively compensate for unprecedented budget cuts while meeting the demands of student access and increasing levels of pressure and accountability with regards to improving student completion. If community colleges are to maintain or exceed their current level of performance and accommodate student access, they need to generate alternative sources of funding. In a national study of state community college systems, six state community college directors indicated that their states community colleges would utilize a differential tuition model in order to compensate for the loss of state funds. The purpose of the study was to follow-up with those six states to learn how differential tuition models are being utilized among the public community colleges. The lessons from these states provide recommendations for policy and practice.

Examining the effectiveness of student authentication and authenticity in online learning at community colleges

Online learning is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent delivery methods of learning in institutions of higher education. It provides college students, especially adult students, an alternative, convenient, and cost-efficient method to earn their credentials, upgrade their skills and knowledge, and keep or upgrade their employment. But at the same time it brings about new issues and challenges different from traditional instruction, including student verification, prevention of academic dishonesty, and use of new technology. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of student authentication and authenticity in online learning at community colleges through facultys perceptions of the three key institutional factors: (a) institutional policies and procedures; (b) professional development and training; and (c) technology support services. The results of this study show that there are significant gaps between what are considered by faculty as important in the three areas and what are in place in reality. Evidence of this study also indicates that professional development and training and institutional policies and procedures have a positive effect on the increase of facultys awareness of the importance of student authentication and authenticity. Additionally, implications for further research, as well as for policy and practice, are discussed.

Examining Practical Relevance of the Coursework of Doctoral Leadership Programs

This quantitative study investigated the extent to which doctoral leadership programs are practically relevant. Results revealed that community college leaders and leadership program faculty did not differ significantly on the importance ratings on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) competencies. The subsequent analysis, however, showed a significant gap between what were rated by faculty as important and what were emphasized in the leadership programs. The findings suggest possible reasons for the gap and raise important questions for future research.

Determining Community College Workforce Needs: Process Suggestions and Policy Issues.

In 1998, the Iowa Department of Education established the Community College Research Agenda Task Force in an effort to address the increasing data and research needs of the states 15 community colleges. The purpose of the task force was to identify and prioritize the data and research needs and seek out educational partners with the capabilities of meeting such needs. This article summarizes the results of the community college personnel survey, conducted through the combined resources of the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State University, the community college presidents, and the community college trustees. This demonstration of the research initiative established an initial relationship linking the doctoral studies and research of Iowa State University to that of the Iowa Department of Education and the system of community colleges. The survey reported here can be easily replicated by other states.

The New Reverse Transfer: A National Landscape

For decades, higher education professionals and researchers have used the term reverse transfer to describe a specific group of students. A current review of community college literature and higher education policy reflects a contextual change of the term, and today reverse transfer has grown to include students who transfer from a two-year college to a four-year institution and retroactively receive an associate’s degree with their newly earned university credits. The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the new reverse transfer and the current status of reverse transfer participation and implementation procedure within each of the 50 states. This study also provides a review of the best practices for implementing the new reverse transfer. Results were obtained through an extensive literature review and a qualitative study that used document analysis. Findings show that 18 states had no participation, 11 states had emerging participation, and 21 states had strong participation in implementing state-wide reverse transfer programming. Recommendations for implementation were identified through a second document analysis. Recommendations include ensuring that institutions form multiinstitution/department taskforce committees, automating the degree evaluation process and credentialing, and identifying the process for sharing student information across institutions. Future research should include tracking new reverse transfer participants over time to determine if such programs are improving completion rates.

Typology of State-level Community College Governance Structures

ABSTRACT Despite having a well-documented history about community colleges across the United States, relatively few discussions have covered state-level governance structures. To understand the typology of state community college governance structures, it must first be recognized that community college governance is characterized as a complex web of relationships and arrangements that have evolved over time. There is a myriad of ways in which states can structure their higher education systems. Changes, emerging issues, and taxonomies that currently exist in the literature are becoming out-of-date and less precise. The purpose of this study was to develop a national landscape of state-level community college governance structures and to provide an updated categorization of state-level community college governance structures. This study identified common themes, patterns, and emerging developments regarding state-level community college governance. The results of this study about state-level community college governance structures is beneficial for state-level community college governance leaders across the country to stay current and informed on changes and trends, and an opportunity to gain a better understanding about other states’ power-structures, governance, and administration over community colleges.

THE DATA COLLECTION MATRIX MODEL: A Tool for Functional Area and Program Evaluation

The management and utilization of collected data is crucial in evaluating programs and functional area effectiveness. Various assessment instruments may address similar functional areas of the college, yet we often fail to compile these data for comprehensive evaluation. The data collection matrix makes possible the integration of functional area data from numerous assessment sources and presentation of the information in a unified composite report. The matrix model will be discussed in relation to the various assessment instruments and the evaluation of functional areas and programs. This paper is directed toward institutional researchers who may wish to adapt the model to their own institution.