The American Community College

by Arthur M. Cohen, Florence B. Brawer, Carrie B. Kisker

For more than thirty years, The American Community College has been the go-to reference for faculty, administrators, trustees, state-level officials, and researchers concerned with the role of community colleges in the American educational system, the services they provide, and their effects on students and surrounding communities. Now in its sixth edition, The American Community College includes a new chapter on student outcomes and accountability; a case for reconceptualizing general education around critical thinking, civic engagement, and sustainable development; and an appendix examining the ascendant for-profit sector. The sixth edition also incorporates expanded analyses of recent trends within the community colleges, including vertical expansion; cross-sector collaboration; student and faculty characteristics; enrollment patterns; revenue generation and state allocation patterns, including performance-based funding; distance learning; and statewide efforts to improve transfer and articulation. In addition, the authors include a response to contemporary criticisms of the institution. Comprehensive in scope, the sixth edition of The American Community College is designed for anyone concerned with the role and purpose of community institutions in American higher education. The descriptions and analyses of each of the institution’s functions can be used by administrators who want to learn about practices that have proven successful at other colleges, curriculum planners involved in program revisions, faculty members seeking ideas for modifying their courses, students preparing for careers in community colleges, and trustees and officials concerned with college policies and student progress and outcomes. Each chapter of the book includes guiding questions for reflection and discussion.

Genres: Education, School, Nonfiction

576 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 1989

Reviews

[Tayler B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A textbook I actually enjoyed reading! It was very user friendly in its language and structure, and very informative for my graduate course work and my professional life.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very outdated and negative about community colleges.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished the 7th edition of this book. Would mark this as a must read for anyone working in or researching community colleges.

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a foundational text in higher education.

[Amber + Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very dense book and I would not recommend reading it cover-to-cover. Instead, as the author suggest, I would cherry pick the sections that are of most interest or of most necessity to you. If read in this manner it reads quite smoothly. The text is easy to understand, however there were moments when I questioned the choice of vocabulary used in the text. At times it seemed like it used a particular word as a way to emphasize some point trying to be made, but I found that that point was lost. The choice of vocabulary just seemed odd a handful of times.


Note: I used this book as part of a course I took at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH).

[Eric Phetteplace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A broad overview of nearly every aspect of community colleges in America. Would serve as an excellent textbook for a course on the subject, or one could pick out a few of the more striking chapters for a course on postsecondary education in general. As someone interested in working for a community college, I feel like this book gives me a strong understanding of their history, roles, and potential futures.
A few things really impressed me about this book. First of all, community colleges are insanely difficult to generalize about because variation across states and even within a state can be so drastic. The authors don't shy away from this at all, typically describing all the different models in existence and pointing out when cross-comparison is and isn't possible. That can make for frustrating reading as their conclusions repeatedly lean towards “well, it depends...” but the numerous specific examples are helpful. Further, the book strives to be objective in an admirable way. I was half-expecting a polemic against the exclusive, research-focused universities in favor of the egalitarian, learning-focused CCs, but the authors repeatedly point out both what CCs do well and where they struggle (the chapter on Community Education, for instance, is impeccable).
The only thing I found questionable were the occasional bizarre rhetorical flourishes. For example, on pp. 396-7, after relaying an imaginary conversation between a consultant and a college president, the authors state “Still in use are high-powered statistical tests applied to the soft data typical of the social sciences—rather like driving Indianapolis race cars on dirt roads.” The content of that statement is agreeable, and I don't want to be a bore insistent on removing all humor from academia, but it catches the reader by surprise in the midst of otherwise dry analysis. A better balance between relating facts and rhetorically embellishing them may have helped.

[Ceora]

Bah..finished that class. It was helpful having the book to understand statistics, management of classroom, and other goodies. Great Book.

[Kevin Altman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives great insight into the workings and framework of the modern American Community College System. A great read for any higher education administrator or educator!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a textbook. My copy was a little dated, but not enough to matter.

[Endira77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive, easy to read, occasionally biased, but in an attempt to present both passion and criticism of educational issues. A great resource.