Document Tag: community college
On Second Chances and Stratification: How Sociologists Think About Community Colleges (2014)
Community colleges increase college access, extending postsecondary educational opportunities to underserved students, yet, these students exhibit low rates of program completion and transfer to 4-year colleges. Sociological research on community colleges focuses on the tension between increasing educational opportunity and failing to improve equity in college completion across key demographics, such as race and socioeconomic status. This article provides an overview of sociology’s approach to understanding community colleges. We describe sociological theories, examine the contributions they make to the field, and discuss the discipline’s recent debates regarding community colleges. We conclude by highlighting research areas for further progress and discussing the role sociology could play in transforming community colleges.
Making Sense of Transitions: An Examination of Transfer among Economically Disadvantaged Undergraduates (2015)
At least one in three undergraduates attends more than one college, but we know little about how
students decide to transfer. Most studies about transfer are retrospective, quantitative, and/or
restricted to students who complete a transfer, thus missing the process through which students
reach transfer decisions. In contrast, this mixed methods, longitudinal study prospectively
examines a cohort of students across multiple colleges and universities over time. Based on data
from more than 200 interviews with 50 students from low-income Wisconsin families, we find
that about half of students consider transferring, but a substantial percentage ultimately decide to
persist at their initial institution. Other studies have ignored the deliberation process—and
existence—of this group. For all students who consider transfer, we illuminate a process of
discussion and reflection that is shaped by social class and social capital.
Work-First Federal Policies: Eroding Access to Community Colleges for Latinos and Low-Income Populations (2006)
This chapter describes how the implementation of the
1996 welfare reform and the 1998 Workforce Investment
Acts affected community colleges’ willingness and
capacity to provide access to postsecondary education and
training for Latinos and other low-income populations.
Houston Food Scholarship Program Report (2020)
This report describes program implementation and impact of one of the nation’s first food
scholarship programs: the Houston Food Scholarship (HFS), a partnership between Houston
Community College and the Houston Food Bank. The food scholarship was first distributed in
January 2018, and this report examines its early stages, as well as rigorously estimating impacts
through spring 2019.
National #RealCollege Survey Report #1: Hungry to Learn: Addressing Food & Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates (2015)
First #RealCollege survey report- more than 4,000 undergraduates at 10 community colleges across the nation, half of all community college students are struggling with food and/or housing insecurity. Fully 20 percent are hungry and 13 percent are homeless.