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Front Cover (Fall 2019)
Get PDFThe cover art is by Anne Deangelis, a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College
Communication and Data Sharing between K-12 and Community Colleges
Get PDFThis report investigates communication and data sharing between K-12 and community colleges to identify best practices. This wide-ranging topic encompassed many efforts that impact student recruitment, retention and success in their postsecondary education. To prioritize the most pressing issues, this report focuses on recent system-wide findings and recommendations. In 2016, the Virginia General Assembly directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to review the VCCS, a process that had not been done since 1991. The JLARC report in 2017 stated that a relatively low percentage of community college students obtain a degree or credential (39 percent). In addition to the JLARC report on student success findings among Virginia’s Community Colleges, community colleges do not consistently ensure the quality of dual enrollment courses.
To meet the JLARC report’s call to action, strong communication and data sharing between Virginia’s Community Colleges and their K-12 partners is essential. Through background literature research, surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, this report identifies current practices in data sharing and communication, including successes and shortcomings. Recommendations will provide concrete steps to improve communications and data sharing between Virginia’s Community Colleges and their K-12 partners
Promoting the Value of Career Education Programs
Get PDF12.5 million secondary and postsecondary students are currently enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in the United States (“Career,” 2019). CTE programs provide students with the academic skills, technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners (“Career,” 2019). Students are prepared for the workplace as a result of a competency-based learning approach and through partnerships with local employers who provide hands-on experience and work-based learning opportunities (“Career,” 2019). By 2020, 65 percent of American jobs will require some postsecondary education or training, with half of these positions requiring an associate degree, certificate or credential (“Community,” 2017, p.3). The Department of Labor reported 6.2 million unfilled jobs in 2017; community colleges are an essential element in addressing this challenge (“Community,” 2017, p.3). Career and Technical Education represents a crucial path from education to employment (“Community,” 2017, p.3). The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) works to create opportunities for students to complete CTE pathways and has made great strides in working to promote the value of CTE education for all students. A number of challenges, opportunities, best practices, and recommendations are associated with promoting the value of CTE programs