The topic area focuses on community colleges, which are public, two-year postsecondary institutions. The studies in this topic area examine the effectiveness of community college policies and programs that are intended to improve academic persistence, degree/certificate completion, and labor market outcomes. The topic area focuses on linked learning communities, accelerated learning, and paid performance incentive programs. The topic area also focuses on community college bridge programs for students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), workforce program partnerships, and community-college based interventions intended to improve employment and earning outcomes and the attainment of industry-recognized certificates, certifications and credentials.
Community College
Status: Literature reviewed in this topic area currently covers 1994 - 2019.
Synthesis Reports
Synthesis reports look at the research evidence across studies within a topic area. They also highlight gaps in the literature, and suggest areas in which further research is needed.
Recently Added
CLEAR searches the existing literature for research relevant to this topic area's focus. Browse the most recently reviewed research below.
Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to evaluate the impact of learning communities (linked courses coupled with special services, such as in-course tutoring) on course passage rates for students enrolled in…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of learning communities on academic progression among students in need of developmental English courses at Merced Community College in Merced,…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of career-focused learning communities at Kingsborough Community College in New York on progress toward and completing a degree. Students with eight…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of learning communities on community college students’ persistence from freshman to sophomore year, an outcome in the progress toward degree…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Opening Doors learning community program at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York, on students’ persistence, course completion…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Joint/Dual (JD) program on retention and graduation rates for community college and undergraduate engineering students who were under-…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the effectiveness of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) at three City University of New York (CUNY) schools on credits earned and completion of…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Mathematics Access Performance Scholarship (MAPS) on completion of developmental and college-level math, credits attempted and earned, and…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of accelerated developmental writing and math sequences on enrollment, persistence, and academic achievement outcomes at six City University of New…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of LaGuardia Community College’s general educational development (GED) Bridge to Health and Business program on GED completion, college enrollment,…
CLEAR Icon Key
Below is a key for icons used to indicate important details about a study, such as its type, evidence rating, and outcome findings.
High Causal Evidence
Strong evidence the effects are caused by the examined intervention.
Moderate Causal Evidence
Evidence that the effects are caused to some degree by the examined intervention.
Low Causal Evidence
Little evidence that the effects are caused by the examined intervention.
Causal Impact Analysis
Uses quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of a program, policy, or intervention.
Descriptive Analysis
Describes a program, policy, or intervention using qualitative or quantitative methods.
Implementation Analysis
Examines the implementation of a program, policy, or intervention.
Favorable
The study found at least one favorable impact in the outcome domain, and no unfavorable impacts.
Mixed
The study found some favorable and some unfavorable impacts in the outcome domain.
None
The study found no statistically significant impacts in the outcome domain.
Unfavorable
The study found at least one unfavorable impact in the outcome domain, and no favorable impacts.
Not applicable
Not applicable because no outcomes were examined in the outcome domain.
Favorable - low evidence
The study found at least one favorable impact in the outcome domain, and no unfavorable impacts. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Mixed - low evidence
The study found some favorable and some unfavorable impacts in the outcome domain. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
None - low evidence
The study found no statistically significant impacts in the outcome domain. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Unfavorable - low evidence
The study found at least one unfavorable impact in the outcome domain, and no favorable impacts. The study received a low causal evidence ratings so these findings should be interpreted with caution.