Although community colleges have yet to be central to the debates over strengthening elementary and secondary education, some educational leaders have seen a role for them in strengthening American secondary education." (Baker, Dudziak, and Tyler 9)
Baker et al. further report that Dale Parnell, former president of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), has advocated that community colleges work with area high schools to develop new, intensive technical education programs. These programs consist of two years of science and technology preparatory work in the high school followed by specialized technical training in the community college. In a similar vein, the American Association for Higher Education has sponsored a number of two-year and four-year college partnerships with high schools to strengthen the articulation of curricula and students between the cultures of secondary and higher education. (13)
Therefore, though society as a whole may not agree on whether or not community college is a necessary step, one must consider its significance in history. Not only in conjunction to 4-year colleges, but also with all other levels of education to which community college has been linked. This is a level of education that cannot go unnoticed, it is necessary to give community colleges the level of respect and appreciation that they deserve. One may feel that there is no need to go to community college, that in fact it is only a deterrent, an opportunity to "take off" from "true" education....
In response to that, I say no way, when you want to ace a test you study and prepare. If you want to be successful in a 4-year college, prepare through community college.
Works Cited
Baker, George A., Judy Dudziak, and Peggy Tyler, eds. A Handbook on the Community College in America: Its History, Mission, and Management. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Brint S., and J. Karabel. 1989. The diverted dream: Community colleges and the promise of educational opportunity in America, 1900- 1985. New York: Oxford University Press.
Clowes DA., and B.H. Levin. 1989. Community, junior and technical colleges -- Are they leaving higher education?. Journal of Higher Education 60: 349-55.
Cohen A.M., and F.B. Brawer. 1989. The American community college. 2d ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
King, Jacqueline E. "Academic Success and Financial Decisions: Helping Students Make Crucial Choices." Improving the First Year of College: Research and Practice. Ed. Robert S. Feldman. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. 3-24.
Knox, William E., Paul Lindsay, and Mary N. Kolb. Does College Make a Difference? Long-Term Changes in Activities and Attitudes. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993.
Patrick, K.C. "Getting the Jump on College." Dance Magazine Jan. 2001: 76.
Ratcliff J.L. 1984. "A re-examination of the past: Some origins of the second best notion,." Community/Junior College Quarterly of Research and Practice 8(l): 273-84.
