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 benefits of stackable certificates on education and earnings outcomes for full-time students with no prior post-secondary education. The author used a…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study's objective was to examine the impact of New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship (NMLLS) on education outcomes. This study was a difference-in-differences design exploring the impact of…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study's objective was to examine the impact of Eastern Mississippi Community College's (EMCC) workforce services training on earnings and employment. The study used a nonexperimental design to…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Camden County College (CCC) workforce development program on earnings and employment outcomes. Using the New Jersey Unemployment Insurance (UI…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program on education, earnings, and employment outcomes. The authors used a randomized controlled…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the PluggedIn and WorkREADY! advanced manufacturing training program on education, employment, and earnings outcomes. The study used a…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of Montana’s RevUp program on education outcomes. The authors used a nonexperimental design to compare education outcomes of RevUp participants to a…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of the Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program on community college students’ success and progress. The…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to examine the impact of contextualized teaching and learning (CTL) on education outcomes. Using institutional data, the author conducted a nonexperimental design to…Study Type: Causal Impact Analysis
The study’s objective was to assess the impact of the Mechatronics Re-envisioned (MRE) program on education outcomes. Using college administrative data, the authors conducted a nonexperimental study…
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.