The design of this study was to use hierarchical linear modeling to assess the impact of community colleges on the school-to-work transition and to assess the race, gender, and socioeconomic status effect on student outcomes (wages and use of training on the job). Data were obtained from several sources, including High School and Beyond, the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS), and the College Board Institutional Files. Community college variables included full-time enrollment, percentage of faculty full-time, transfer rate, and the availability of career counseling and placement services. Results suggest that several variables, including the transfer rate and the availability of career counseling and placement services, were related to the effect of gender and class background on wages and use of training on the job.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahrens, A.M., & Boatwright, M.A. (1997). Satisfaction with career planning and job placement services at two-year public colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice21(7), 617-626.
2.
Albert, L., & Watson, R. (1980). Mainstreaming part-time faculty: Is sue or imperative? In M. Parsons (Ed.), Using part-time faculty effectively (pp. 73-80). New Directions for Community Colleges, Vol. 8(2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
3.
Alfred, R., Hudgins, J., Ewell, P., & McClenney, K. (1999). Core indicators of effectiveness for community colleges. Washington, D.C.: Community College Press.
4.
American Association of Community Colleges. (1996). A pocket profile of community colleges: Trends and statistics, 1995-1996. Washington, DC: Author.
5.
American College Testing Program. (1969). The two-year college and its students: An empirical report. Iowa City, Iowa: Author.
6.
Anderson, K. (1984). The effects of college type and characteristics on educational attainment. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 256 206).
7.
Antley, H.W. (1999). The development of a predictive model for one-year freshman retention rate: A macro-approach. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 433 787).
8.
Antony, J.S., & Valadez, J.R. (1998). An exploration of the job satisfaction of American part-time college faculty. (ERIC Document ED 427 597).
9.
Arnold, C. (1995). Using HLM and NAEP data to explore school correlates of 1990 mathematics and geometry achievement in grades 4, 8, and 12: Methodology and results. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
10.
Avakian, A. (1995). Conflicting demands for adjunct faculty. Community College Journal65(6), 34-36.
11.
Banks, D.L. (1992). Environmental factors influencing the community college transfer function. Dissertation Abstracts (DAI 52/4196).
12.
Beman, R. (1980). Observations of an adjunct faculty member. In M. Parsons (Ed.), Using part-time faculty effectively (pp. 81-84). New Directions for Community Colleges, Vol. 8(2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
13.
Berman, P., & Weiler, D. (1990). Enhancing transfer effectiveness: A model for the 1990s. Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges and the National Effective Transfer Consortium.
14.
Bowles, S., & Levin H. (1968). The determinants of scholastic achievement: An appraisal of some recent evidence. Journal of Human Resources, 3, 3-24.
15.
Bushnell, D. (1978). Cooperation in vocational education. Washington, DC: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges and the American Vocational Association (ERIC Document ED 164 052).
16.
Cain, M. (1999). The community college in the twenty-first century: A systems approach. Lanham, MD: University Press.
17.
Carter, E. (1975). Follow-up study of New River Community College transfers who graduated in the 1972-73 school year [and] follow-up of 1974 graduates in occupational-technical programs. Dubline, VA: New River Community College. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 118 171).
18.
Cohen, A., & Brawer, F. (1989). The American community college (2nd Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
19.
Cohen, A., & Sanchez, J. (1997). The transfer rate: A model of consistency. Community College Journal68(2), 24-26.
20.
Coleman, J. (1961). The adolescent society. New York: Free Press of Glencoe.
21.
Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. (1990). America's choice: High skills or low wages. Rochester, NY: National Center on Education and the Economy.
22.
Cottingham, T., Newman, M., & Sims D. (1982). Is there help for parttime faculty-our new and neglected majority?Community College Review, 9(1), 12-17.
23.
Creamer, D. (1994). Synthesis of literature related to historical and current functions of student services. In G. Baker (Ed.), A handbook on the community college in America: Its history, mission, and management (pp. 439-453). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
24.
Cross, P. (1990). Transfer: Major mission of community colleges? Paper presented at the Annual International Conference on Leadership Development of the League for Innovation in Community Colleges. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 322 972).
25.
deVries, J.J. (1998). School-to-work planning: Career guidance and development functions at Wyoming community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice22(1), 67-77.
26.
Diener, T. (1986). Growth of an American invention: A documentary history of the junior and community college movement. Contribuions to the Study of Education, No. 16. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
27.
Dougherty, K. (1987). The effects of community colleges: Aid or hindrance to socioeconomic attainment?Sociology of Education60(2), 86-103.
28.
Dougherty, K. (1991). The community college at the crossroads: The need for structural reform. Harvard Educational Review, 61(3), 331-336.
29.
Dougherty, K. (1994). The contradictory college: The conflicting origins, impacts and futures of the community college. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
30.
Eaton, J. (1994). Strengthening collegiate education in community colleges. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
31.
Fadale, L. (1982). Achieving sex equity in two-year college programs. Community/Junior College Quarterly of Research and Practice, 6, 187-191.
32.
Farmer, E., & Honeycutt, F.D. (1999). Community college administrators and faculty opinions of Tech Prep. Community College Journal of Research and Practice23(8), 717-725.
33.
Gonzalez, A., de-la-Torre, A., & Garcia, J. (1998). Minority student achievement and workforce success in Arizona: A research study. Tucson, AZ: Arizona University Mexican-American Studies and Research Center. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 434-702).
34.
Griffith, M., & Connor, A. (1994). Democracy's open door: The community college in America's future. Portsmouth, NH: Boyton/Cook.
35.
Grubb, N. (1991). The decline of community college transfer rates: Evidence from national longitudinal surveys. Journal of Higher Education62(2), 194-224.
36.
Grubb, N. (1996). Working in the middle: Strengthening education and training for the mid-skilled labor force. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
37.
Grubb, N. (1999). Honored but invisible: An inside look at teaching in community colleges. New York: Routledge.
38.
Grubb, N., Badway, N., Bell, D., Bragg, D., & Russman, M. (1997). Workforce, economic, and community development: The changing landscape of the entrepreneurial community college. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College.
39.
Hammond, L., & Porter, G. (1984). Follow-up study of 1981-82 students: North Carolina community college system. Raleigh, NC: Division of Planning and Research Services, North Carolina Department of Community Colleges. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 259 806).
40.
Hershey, A., Silverberg, M.K., Haimson, J., Hudis, P., & Jackson, R. (1999). Expanding options for students: Report to Congress on the national evaluation of school-to-work implementation. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 436 641).
41.
Hollingsworth, R., & Hanneman, R. (1984). Centralization and power in social service delivery systems. Boston: Kluwer Nijhoff Publishing.
42.
Howard, T. (1998). Addressing the needs of the changing workplace through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act: Collaborative effort in curriculum development, teacher training, career services, and mentor training. Journal of Cooperative Education33(2), 38-43.
43.
Huffman, J.P., & Schneiderman, S. (1997). Size matters: The effect of institutional size on graduation rates. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 410 882).
44.
Kuo, E.W. (1999). Analysis of ESL course offerings in community colleges. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 427 795).
45.
Jencks, C., Smith, M., Acland, H., Bane, M., Cohen, D., Gintis, H., Heyns, B., & Michelson, S. (1972). Inequality: A reassessment of the effect of family and schooling in America. New York: Basic Books.
46.
Kane, T., & Rouse, C. (1993). Labor market returns to two-year and four-year college: Is a credit a credit and do degrees matter?Faculty Research Working Paper R93-38. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
47.
Lach, I., Kohl, P., & Wellman, F. (1979). Follow-up study of FY 1978 occupational graduates of Illinois public community colleges. Spring field, IL: Illinois Community College Board. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 176 823).
48.
Laden, B.V. (1999). Celebratory socialization of culturally diverse students through academic programs and support services. In S. Shaw, J.R. Valadez, & R.A. Rhoads (Eds.), Community colleges as cultural texts: Qualitative explorations of organizational and student culture (pp. 173-194). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
49.
Lankard, B.A. (1993). Part-time faculty in adult and vocational education. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 363 797).
50.
Little Hoover Commission. (2000). Open doors and open minds: Improving access and quality in California's community colleges. Sacramento, CA: Little Hoover Commission.
51.
McCabe, R. (1988). The educational program of the American community college: A transition. In J. Eaton (Ed.), Colleges of choice: The enabling impact of community colleges (pp. 93-115). New York: MacMillan.
52.
McCabe, R., & Day, P. (1998). Developmental Education: A Twenty-First Century Social and Economic Imperative. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College.
53.
McGuire, J. (1993). Part-time faculty: Partners in excellence. Leadership Abstracts6(6), 1-3.
54.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The structuring of organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
55.
Mobley, C. (Forthcoming). Community colleges and the school-to-work transition: A multilevel analysis. Forthcoming in Sociological Inquiry.
56.
National Research Council. (1994). Preparing for the workplace: Charting a course for federal postsecondary training policy. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
57.
Oakes, J. (1989). What educational indicators? The case for assessing the school context. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis11(2), 181-199.
58.
Orr, M. (1998). Integrating secondary schools and community colleges through school-to-work transition and educational reform. Journal of Vocational Education Research23(2), 93-113.
59.
Paneitz, B. (1997). Community college students'perceptions of student services provided when enrolled in telecourses. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 435 409).
60.
Parnell, D. (1985). The neglected majority. Washington, DC: The Community College Press.
61.
Pincus, F. (1986). Vocational education: More false promises. In S. Zwerling (Ed.), The community college and its critics (pp. 41-52). New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 54. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
62.
Pollard, R. (1991). A comparison of attitudes toward tech-prep programs. Community College Review, 19(3), 34-42.
63.
Pollock, A., & Breuder, R. (1982). The eighties and part-time faculty. Community College Review, 9(4), 58-62.
64.
Puyear, D.E. (1989). Student retention in the Virginia Community College System, Academic years 1985-86 through 1987-88. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career and Vocational Education (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 304 198).
65.
Raudenbush, S., & Bryk, A. (1988). Methodological advances in analyzing the effects of schools and classrooms on student learning. Review of Research in Education, 15, 423-475.
66.
Rouche, J.E., Rouche, S.D., & Milliron, M.D. (1995). Strangers in their own land: Part-time faculty in American community colleges. Washington, D.C.: The Community College Press.
67.
Schuyler, G. (1997). ERIC review: The assessment of community college economic impact on the local community or state. Community College Review25(2), 65-80.
68.
Shaw, K., Valadez, J., & Rhoads, R. (1999). Community colleges as cultural texts: Qualitative explorations of organizational and student culture. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
69.
Shults, D. (1997). The School-to-Work Opportunities Act (1994) and community college preparedness. NOVA Southeastern University. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Document No. ED 409 039).
70.
Silverberg, M.K. (1996). Building school-to-work systems on a Tech Prep foundation: The status of school-to-work features in Tech Prep initiatives. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research (ERIC Re production Service, Document No. ED 413 442).
71.
Stern, D., Finkelstein, N., Stone J., Latting, J., & Dornsife, C. (1995). School-to-work: Research on programs in the United States. London: Falmer Press.
72.
Todd, T., & Baker, G. (1998). Institutional effectiveness in two-year colleges: The Southern region of the United States. Community College Review26(3), 57-76.
73.
U.S. Department of Education. (1994). National assessment of vocational education-Volume 1: Summary and recommendations. Washington, DC: Author.
74.
Valadez, J.R., & Killacky, J. (1995). Opening the shutter. New Directions for Community Colleges23(2), 5-7.
75.
van den Eeden, P., & Huttner, H. (1982). Multi-level research. Current Sociology, 30(3).
76.
Wechsler, H. (1991). Meeting the transfer challenge: Five partnerships and their models. Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges. (ERIC Reproduction Service, Docul beft No. ED 338 165).
77.
Willett, L. (1980). Comparison of instructional effectiveness of fulland part-time faculty. Community/Junior College Research Quarterly, 5(1), 23-30.
78.
William T.Grant Foundation Commission on Work, Family, and Citizenship-Youth and America's Future. (1988). The forgotten half: Noncollege youth in America. Washington, DC: Author.
79.
Wilson, R. (1994). Education department study of faculty members finds most have full-time appointments. Fact file: A profile of full-time faculty members with teaching duties, Fall 1992. Chronicle of Higher Education (November 23), p. A16-A16.
