The author examined information about honors programs and curricula in 38 community colleges and districts in 19 states from a 24-year period (1974 to 1998). Four primary issues framed the literature review: why colleges have honors programs, what the stated goals are for such programs, how honors curricula are structured, and whether honors programs succeed. Both motivations and stated goals varied among the colleges and districts, but honors programs generally are designed to recognize and meet the needs of excellent students and to encourage excellence. Honors courses take several forms, but many programs rely heavily on special sections of core curriculum courses. Few published reports provide longitudinal data on honors program effectiveness but rely on data from student questionnaires that indicate high satisfaction levels. Nevertheless, some studies report program dropout problems. The author asserts the need for careful and balanced evaluative studies of honors programs.
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