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##  Forces Motivating Institutional Reform. ERIC Digest.                         

Orchestrating change is a key responsibility of community college               leaders, who must respond to perennial calls for institutional                  reform. Community colleges feel the pressure to change from both                external and internal sources. This Digest provides an overview of              trends and issues driving change on community college                           campuses. EXTERNAL MOTIVATORSThe desire for change within                 community colleges often results from trends beyond classroom walls             and off campus grounds. Key sources of externally motivated reforms             are: 
Societal needs and expectations. Community colleges face                 increasing pressure to respond to shifting societal trends. For                 example, the Community College League of California expects its                 institutions to assist the state in addressing the challenges caused            by the growing diverse population (1993b). Also, Parkland College in            Illinois established a campus-wide action committee to respond to               the changing demographics of its students, faculty, and                         staff (Harris & Kayes, 1995). In these diverse contexts, simply                 accommodating change is inadequate; community colleges are being                asked to evolve. Most often, the expectation is for the institutions            to become focal points in a network of social services (Lorenzo &               Lecroy, 1994; Travis, 1995). The changing population also calls for             increased multicultural awareness (Harris & Kayes, 1995) and an                 understanding that students are consumers who may seek                          post-secondary education from alternative sources (Community College            League of California, 1993b). Workforce 2000, a study commissioned              by the U.S. Department of Labor in 1987, predicted that the labor               force would add more older workers, women, people of color, and                 immigrants. As a result, community college leaders have altered                 their institutions to serve as training grounds so students can                 learn how to interact with diverse peoples in the wider                         socio-economic context (Harris & Kayes, 1995). 
International                  competition. Concomitant to these domestic changes, industrial                  globalization requires workers highly skilled in adapting to                    international cultures. Community colleges therefore should                     recognize their students as members of a global community who need              to develop the social and labor skills necessary to work well with              people of all backgrounds (Harris & Kayes, 1995). 
Educational                 competition. Community colleges can further help to solve economic              problems by ensuring all workers access to skills training or                   retraining (Community College League of California, 1993b). In this             effort, community colleges face competition from the growing private            education sector. To maintain a competitive edge, community colleges            need to solidify their current funding base and establish new                   sources of income to ensure quality public education (Community                 College League of California, 1993b). Another approach is to revise             curricula to meet students' future needs through "school-to-work"               or "tech-prep" programs (Harris & Kayes, 1995). 
Technological                 developments. Linked to economic and labor force pressures is the               need for students to gain technological literacy. Community colleges            that are flexible enough to incorporate the latest hardware and                 software will be better equipped to increase educational access,                because technological developments are stimulating new ways of                  thinking about educational service delivery. "Electronic colleges"              may provide "instruction and student services...24-hours-a-day at               home, in the office and even in the car" (Community College League              of California, 1993a, p. 5). Technology may also provide access to              students who previously could not take courses because of schedule              conflicts or geographic location. O'Banion (1997) proposes that an              improved "learning college" may build its foundation on technology              because technology is "ism-free" (i.e., racism, sexism, ageism).                However, technology causes concern if its usage perpetuates classism            and prevents access to students who cannot afford computers at                  home (Community College League of California, 1993a). 
Legislative             action. In some instances, reform is not voluntary but mandated. The            state governments of Florida and New Jersey and several other states            for example, have legislated the use of standardized tests to                   measure community colleges' performance and to provide data for                 accountability (Capoor & Morante, 1990; Florida State Postsecondary             Education Planning Commission, 1995). The Community College League              of California calls for establishing "postsecondary education as an             inalienable right in California" (1993b). Such legislation would                have enormous ramifications for all aspects of institutional                    planning and resource allocation. 
Funding. Decreasing public                  investment in education at the state level can also stimulate reform            efforts. As program development is placed on hold and budgets are               trimmed, community college leaders have been forced to pursue new               funding sources. Private development efforts, innovative financial              aid solutions, and altered student fee structures are examples of               measures undertaken to ensure quality public higher                             education (Community College League of California, 1996). INTERNAL            STIMULIFrom within the community college system, an agenda for              reform emerges, often in response to external trends. Internally                stimulated reforms involve: Changing academic values. The values                underlying teaching and learning need to be critically examined. New            pedagogy is needed for teaching students how to successfully manage             changing environments (Lorenzo & LeCroy, 1994). This emphasis                   on "outcomes-based learning" shifts the learning paradigm from being            behaviorally-oriented to being developmentally-oriented (Shipley,               1995). That is, the goal is to move students from accomplishing                 discrete tasks to knowing how to accomplish those tasks. The former             implies memorization and practice; the latter implies synthesis and             analysis, two critical components of lifelong learning. Because of              the fluidity of technological change, those who commit themselves to            lifelong learning will adapt better to social and economic                      changes (Travis, 1995). 
Faculty. While technology may provide                 major advances in access and educational delivery processes, faculty            relations with students will still comprise a major component of the            community college experience (Community College League of                       California, 1993a). Faculty will help to improve educational                    services by revising curricula and adopting new                                 technologies (Community College League of California, 1993a). In                another vein, limited resources may alter the faculty make-up.                  Tenure may be less available to full-time faculty, and colleges may             opt to employ part-time faculty more often (Lorenzo & LeCroy,                   1994). 
Curricular reform. The curriculum conveys implicit values              and institutional priorities. Valuing multiculturalism, community               college practitioners have responded to changing student                        demographics by incorporating diverse literatures into their                    curricula and by acknowledging new research on students' learning               styles (Harris & Kayes, 1993). The development of new technologies              has also caused faculty to reexamine their educational delivery                 methods (Travis, 1995). Additionally, "tech-prep"                               and "school-to-work" movements have stimulated faculty to                       collaborate with high school faculties and to incorporate more                  skill-building into the curricula (Horan,                                       1995). CONCLUSIONWhile this Digest highlights only a                      smattering of the ongoing pressures for reform, these forces                    illuminate the interrelated nature of the community college sector              with the wider social, political and economic landscape. As                     institutions address these internally and externally stimulated                 pressures, questions regarding the community college mission will no            doubt arise. Nevertheless, fostering a socially responsible                     citizenry through accessible, quality education still remains their             unified goal. REFERENCESCapoor, M., and Morante,                          E. (1990). "The State Agency--College-Mandated Approach." New                   Directions for Community Colleges, 18 (4), 83-92. San Francisco, CA:            Jossey-Bass. (EJ 427 561) 
Community College League of                         California. (1993a). California Community Colleges in 2010. Four                Scenarios: Technological Solutions/Adequate Resources, Traditional              Solutions/Adequate Solutions, Technological Solutions/Inadequate                Resources, Traditional Solutions/Inadequate Solutions. Sacramento,              CA: author. (ED 394 615) 
Community College League of                          California. (1993b). Facing the Millennium: California Community                Colleges into the 21st Century. Sacramento, CA: author. (ED 394                 616) 
Community College League of California. (1996). Preparing to             Serve the Student of the Future: A Planning Resource Report.                    Sacramento, CA: author. (ED 395 606) 
Florida State Postsecondary              Education Planning Commission. (1995). Postsecondary Accountability             Review: Report and Recommendations of the Florida Postsecondary                 Education Planning Commission. Tallahassee, FL: author. (ED 393                 382) 
Harris, Z. M., and Kayes, P. (April, 1995). "Multicultural               and International Challenges to the Community College: A Model for              College-Wide Proactive Response." Paper presented at Annual                     Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges,                   Minneapolis, MN.(ED 387 173) 
Horan, M. J. (1995). "Community                  College Reform and Tech Prep: Leading, Following, or Business as                Usual?" Available through ERIC Clearinghouse for Community                      Colleges. (ED 377 914) 
Lorenzo, A. L., and LeCroy, N. A.(1994). A             Framework for Fundamental Change in the Community College: Creating             a Culture of Responsiveness. Warren, MI: Institute for Future                   Studies, Macomb Community College. (ED 369 432) 
MacDougall, P. R.             and Friedlander, J. (1990). "A Proposed Accountability Model for                California's Community Colleges: A Paper for Discussion." Santa                 Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara City College. (ED 314 123) 
O'Banion,               T. (1997). A Learning College for the 21st Century. Washington, DC:             American Council on Education and Oryx Press. (ED 409                           042) 
Shipley, D. (October, 1995). "Transforming Community Colleges            Using a Learning Outcomes Approach." Paper presented at a workshop              sponsored by the Advanced Education Council of British Columbia and             the Centre for Curriculum and Professional Development, Richmond,               British Columbia, Canada. (ED 388 346) 
Travis, J. (April,                     1995). "Community Cores: The Future for the Community College                   Campus." Roundtable presentation delivered at the 75th Annual                   Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges,                   Minneapolis, MN. (ED 389 357) 
The ERIC Clearinghouse is                       administered by the National Library of Education (NLE) and operates            under OERI Contract No. RR93002003. The opinions expressed in this              digest do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of NLE/OERI            and no official endorsement by NLE/OERI should be inferred.                  **Title:** Forces Motivating Institutional Reform. ERIC Digest.                         **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** http://www.gse.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html                                       **Descriptors:**  Change Agents, Change Strategies,  College Faculty,  Community                 Colleges, Competition, Curriculum Development,                                  Diversity (Institutional),  Educational Change, Educational                     Legislation, Educational Technology, International Relations, Job               Training, Organizational Change, Outcome Based Education, School                Funds, Social Change, Teaching Methods, Technological Advancement,              Two Year Colleges                                                            **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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