The Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA) is the principal institutional accountability and improvement framework for community colleges with measures defined to encompass the full breadth of the community college mission and the diversity of students’ goals and educational experiences. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) operates a web-based portal for community colleges to submit, […]
Aligning for Student Success: How Community Colleges Work with K-12 to Improve College and Career Outcomes
Since 2012, community colleges have made a considerable effort to increase student success and completion. Today, as much greater attention is being paid to drawing stronger linkages between education and workforce needs, institutions are becoming more strategic and deliberate in this work. In particular, many institutions are building stronger with relationships with their K-12 partners […]
Executive Leadership Transitioning at Community Colleges
The urgency attached to the board’s role in selecting, supporting, and positioning their institution and new presidents to thrive and excel cannot be overstated. In 2016, more than 50% of the presidents of colleges that award associate degrees reported that they anticipated stepping down within the next five years1 , yet only 21.2% of these […]
Trends in Community College Enrollment and Completion Data 2017
This is the fourth in a series of American Association of Community Colleges analyses of trends in community college enrollments. The report also examines completion rates, featuring graduation rates published by the U.S. Department of Education (based on institutional-level reporting), and the National Student Clearinghouse’s completion rates (based on student-level data). As of October 2017, […]
When Less is More: Prioritizing Open Access
When Less is More: Prioritizing Open Access (October 2017) When Less is More: Prioritizing Open Access looks at the mythical full-time equivalent student. Too often, the college community equates all students with full-time equivalents (FTE). This occurs even when it is well known that, unlike other sectors of education, the majority of community college students […]
Trends in Community College Enrollment and Completion Data 2016
This is the third of a series of American Association of Community Colleges reports on national trends in community college enrollments. It finds that nationally community college enrollments continue to decrease. The report also examines graduation rates published by the U.S. Department of Education (based on institutional level reporting), as well as the National Student […]
Trends in Community College Enrollment and Completion Data, 2015
This is the second of a series of reports on trends in national community college enrollments. National community college enrollments continue to decrease, with variations at the state and local levels. The report also examines completion rates published by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) based on institutional level reporting, and those calculated by the […]
National Community College Enrollment and Award Completion Data, 2014
National community college enrollments continue to decrease. Given the importance of these trends to AACC member institutions—understanding that local changes are ultimately what matters—AACC is providing this report to discuss some of the latest data. It also examines the completion rates that were released along with the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) enrollment data, comparing […]