http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/802772896

Do community colleges respond to local needs? evidence from California

In recent years, American community colleges have evolved as the missions facing them expanded and their constituencies changed. No longer is their role solely to prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions and to provide occupational training. Now, they must also provide basic adult education, including esl, and serve an economic development role by implementing training programs that assist in retaining existing employers and attracting new ones. Have these expanded efforts addressed their constituents' requirements or are community colleges failing to be as responsive as they need to be? Leigh and Gill use data from California's community college system to address this question. Their efforts focus on two major, policy relevant sources of change at the local level. First, on the supply side, they examine how responsive community colleges' are at meeting the needs of the growing immigrant population for education and training. Then, on the demand side, Leigh and Gill look into whether the need of local employers for skilled workers is being met, an issue impacted by dynamic technological change and increased global competition. The result is a book that identifies key patterns that community colleges should be aware of in order to remain responsive in their communities. Following an introduction, the following chapters are contained in this book: (2) Development of the California Community College System; (3) Studies of the Effect of Community Colleges on Educational Attainment; (4) Studies of Community Colleges? Responsiveness to Changes in Employer Skill Requirements; (5) Responsiveness to the Educational Needs of Immigrants by Narrowly Defined Ethnic Categories; (6) Community Colleges? Responsiveness to Local Labor Market Demand; and (7) Summary and Policy Implications.

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