Author Archives: cc118183

Dear Class Members,

During these last few weeks, I have been struggling with my argument for in seeking to build a solid case in favor of transfer-focused vocational programs, I found that there was not sufficient data that could demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs. Furthermore, the studies that did demonstrate positive results and in some instances a significant increase in retention compared to general programs within the community college, seemed to raise questions with respect to who these programs admitted for it limited admission to students that successfully completed their remedial course load, which had been found to be a significant barrier for many students. Although I felt frustrated, I recognized that I had come upon a new opportunity and I diverted my focus toward remedial programs in community colleges. Connecticut has introduced a legislative proposal to end remodel education within community colleges and although the measure may seem drastic, it has prompted action and may induce educational institution to continue to build momentum around improving their remedial programs.

Throughout the course of my research, I have been able to identify a variety of research studies and publication that have be written with regards to the changing role of community colleges through time and efforts made to improve education attainment within higher education. The topics range from challenges and opportunities for improving community colleges to perspectives on access and equity. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the strategies that I have used with the hopes that it may be some support to you in conducting further research. I have found that keywords as well as attention to detail are crucial in finding the right data. For example, I have come across a solid article through the Brooking Institute, a recognized policy research think tank based in Washington, which provides access to policy studies, publications and events on an array of topic areas, including all if not most of the topics that are being covered in the class. Using this platform, I was able to locate recognized educational researchers by not solely limiting myself to research papers but by exploring the events they had posted on their site. Among one of the events was Transforming America’s Community Colleges and listed under the key speakers was Sara Goldrick-Rab, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin and Senior Scholar at the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, which led me to find one of her studies on Academic Search Complete. I would recommend that when engaging in research, you review all the sources that appear including key words and you may also find it helpful to review the references list on the end of the studies, which can lead you to other resources on the selected topic.

The focus of my research paper will reside within the study community colleges as a means to learn about the history and development of community colleges in the US in order to identify conditions that can work to increase persistence and retention within higher education. In conducting my research, I have come across relatively minor setbacks, as I have been able to compile an extensive amount of information from various reputable sources, including the American Association of Community Colleges, Center for Community College Student Engagement and the Brooking Institution. Furthermore, I have accessed various scholarly journals and E-books through the Baruch Library database using Academic Search Complete, Education Full Text and ERIC (EBSCOhost), which has provided me with variety of resources and yet I have been unable to access certain scholarly reports that address the precise nature of my research topic. The problems resides within the fact that many of these reports take me directly to the primary website, where there is a fee attached to viewing the report and include reports published by the Community College Journal of Research and Practice and Sage Journals. The reports include, Looking Back and Looking Forward: A Century of Community Colleges in America written by Stephen G. Katsinas and Challenges and Opportunities for Improving Community College Student Success by Sara Goldrick-Rab. I would like to determine if I would be able to access these reports without having to purchase each report but may be willing to do so, given the close alignment with my research question and the focus area of the report, which examines both academic and policy research.

I have chosen to concentrate on effective practices that promote college readiness among high school students but as result of further research, I have encountered two additional topic areas that I am currently considering. One would focus on addressing how work-based learning in the community college environment would impact college persistence and completion, given that past research has demonstrated a correlation between experiential learning and graduation rates among high school students. For example, in a concerted effort to understand the high school drop out crisis from the student’s perspective the Gates Foundation surveyed young people ages 16-25 who identified themselves as high school dropouts in 25 different locations in the U.S., including New York. According to the survey 81% of the respondents said, “that if schools provided opportunities for real-world learning (internships, service-learning, and other opportunities), it would have improved their chances of graduating from high school.” Thus, engaging students and making school more relevant to their lives not only helps reduce high school attrition but also aligns with students needs towards improving their chances of academic and professional success. I would like to take this topic and explore how this may impact retention within community colleges, where retention rates are significantly lower in comparison to four-year colleges.
In addition, a recently came across a report titled “Improving Undergraduate Learning: Finding and Policy Recommendations from the SSRC-CLA Longitudinal Project” for one of my classes and there have been some interesting questions that have raised with regards to quality of higher education and how it works to instill critical thinking, complex reasoning and written communication. According to the report, “over four years, only 50 percent of students reported that they had taken five or fewer courses that required 20 pages of writing over the course of the semester”, which demonstrates reduced rigor in academic coursework and may signal the effects of oversized classrooms and how quality of instruction may have seen itself affected by the pressure of student’s demands and teacher evaluations. I would like to further examine how the quality of higher education has changed and the factors that have caused a change in academic rigor and expectations.

I am currently a rising senior at Baruch College, pursuing my B.A. in Public Affairs and a minor in English. Committed to helping reduce educational disparities and working to promote youth development, I have been increasingly inspired by my experience within the nonprofit sector and motivated by the underdeveloped potential that resides within minority and underrepresented communities. I have interned at the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, working toward the design and development of an after-school program for high school students, which further solidified my desires to work within the field of public policy and nonprofit. Since then, I have interned at Global Kids and am currently continuing my internship at Year Up. I am the founder of the Baruch Chapter of Women of Excellence, Strength and Tenacity (WEST) and am working alongside a truly amazing team of strong and dedicated young women leaders to ensure that all WEST programs are developed purposely and provide all who attend newfound knowledge, motivation and a strong community of women leaders.