Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape

The National Research Council (NRC) and National Academy of Engineering (NAE) have released a new report, Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit. Based on a national summit that was supported by the National Science Foundation and organized by the NRC and the NAE, the report highlights the importance of community colleges, especially in emerging areas of STEM (Sciene, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and preparation of the STEM workforce.Community colleges are also essential in accommodating growing numbers of students and in retraining displaced workers in skills needed in the new economy. Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Education Landscape: Summary of a Summit looks at the changing and evolving relationships between community colleges and four-year institutions, with a focus on partnerships and articulation processes that can facilitate student success in STEM; expanding participation of students from historically underrepresented populations in undergraduate STEM education; and how subjects, such as mathematics, can serve as gateways or barriers to college completion.Table of ContentsFront Matter1 Introduction2 Expanding Minority Participation in Undergraduate STEM Education3 The Loss of Students from STEM Majors4 Outreach, Recruitment, and Mentoring5 The Two-Year Curriculum in Mathematics6 Transfer from Community Colleges to Four-Year Institutions7 General DiscussionReferencesAppendix A: Summit AgendaAppendix B: Effective Outreach, Recruitment, and Mentoring intoSTEM Pathways: Strengthening Partnerships with CommunityColleges--Becky Wai-Ling PackardAppendix C: Two-Year College Mathematics and Student Progression inSTEM Programs of Study--Debra D. BraggAppendix D: Developing Supportive STEM Community College toFour-Year College and University Transfer Ecosystems--Alicia C.DowdAppendix E: Brief Biographies of Committee Members and StaffAppendix F: Brief Biographies of Presenters and Panelists