Community College Responses to Calls for Higher Completion Rates: The Cases of Three Community Colleges

Autor/in	Smock, Elizabeth S.
Titel	Community College Responses to Calls for Higher Completion Rates: The Cases of Three Community Colleges
Quelle	(2013), (142 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-3030-4029-0
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Community Colleges; Graduation Rate; Accountability; Federal Programs; Educational Policy; Program Implementation; Barriers; Governing Boards; Boards of Education; Accreditation (Institutions); Case Studies; Administrator Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Kansas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Community college; Community College; Verantwortung; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Governing body; Governing bodies; Leitungsgremium; Ausschuss; Accreditation; Institution; Institutions; Akkreditierung; Staatliche Anerkennung; Institut; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Lehrerverhalten
Abstract	The primary purpose of this study was to understand how three diverse community colleges are interpreting and acting on federal initiatives to increase completion rates. The study attempted to answer four main research questions: (1) How do a selection of Kansas community colleges, as organizations, interpret the initiative to increase completion rates? (2) How are community colleges responding to how they understand the latest initiative? (3) What are obstacles to responding? (4) How are interpretation and response affected by Kansas Board of Regents, U.S. Board of Education, accreditation, or local policies? We have yet to understand how continuing calls for higher completion numbers, better student success, and more accountability affect morale, work environments, or public relations for personnel at community colleges. This dissertation attempted to address this deficiency through a multi-case study of three community colleges in Kansas. Administrators, faculty, and staff were interviewed to learn their perceptions, views, and beliefs about completion, the community college missions and values, and the latest initiative to increase completion rates. Almost no discrepancy between colleges was found, although a wide variety of views were discussed by participants. In general, interviewees believe that this latest initiative is a good goal, but without better definitions for completion and without better funding, the largest benefit of the current initiative is in its promotion of community colleges as viable providers of education, whether as bridges between K--12 education and four-year colleges or as contributors to the economic security of both graduates and communities through vocational programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01