[Libs-Or] New Report: Findings From Community Colleges: A Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

[Ann Reed]

NCES Releases New Report: Findings From Community Colleges: A Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Community colleges enroll over one-third of America's college students, confer the majority of associate's degrees, and serve as a gateway to bachelor's degrees for many students, according to "Community Colleges: A Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008" report released today by the Institute of Education Sciences' National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

This Special Supplement to "The Condition of Education 2008" provides a profile of the more than 1,000 community colleges in the United States, examines the characteristics of students who entered community college directly from high school, and looks at rates of persistence and attainment among community college students in general. It also compares the characteristics of these public 2-year institutions, and of the students who enroll in them, with those of public and private 4-year colleges and universities.

Among the report's findings:

* Among high school seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution in the fall of 2004, 30 percent enrolled in a community college.

* About two-thirds of these immediate community college enrollees reported that they planned to pursue a bachelor's degree or higher when they were still high school seniors; the other one-third reported that they expected an associate's degree or less would be their highest attainment. 

* Community colleges enroll larger percentages of nontraditional, low-income, and minority students than 4-year colleges and universities.

* In fall 2006, about 62 percent of community college students were enrolled part time compared with a quarter of students at 4-year institutions.

* Compared to 4-year institutions, community colleges rely more heavily on part-time faculty and staff. In addition, compared with the faculty and staff at 4-year institutions, the main activity of a greater percentage of community college faculty and staff is teaching compared to research or administrative duties. 

The full text of "Community Colleges: A Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008" (in HTML format) can be viewed at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2008/analysis/


To obtain hard copy of many IES products as well as hard copy and electronic versions of hundreds of other U.S. Department of Education products please visit http://www.edpubs.org or call 1-877-433-7827 (877-4-EDPUBS).
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Ann Reed, Federal Programs Coordinator
Library Development Services, Oregon State Library
250 Winter St. NE
Salem, OR 07305
phone: (503) 378-5027
fax: (503) 378-6439
ann.reed at state.or.us
website: www.oregon.gov/osl/ld/index.shtml