Legislative initiatives and educational expansion: The growth of state community college systems in the United States

This study investigates the historical development of state community college systems in the United States. A distinction was drawn between the formalization (establishment) of the system and the expansion of the system. The act of formalizing a state community college system occurs when authority is transferred from local to state interests. This date is defined by the enactment of state legislation which outlines provisions for the establishment of community colleges within its jurisdiction. A tabulation of other community college legislative dates was generated to provide an illustration of the history of such legislation in the contiguous states. The range of data presented includes initial legislative dates for high school extention provisions, establishment of colleges, formation of districts, state governing boards, state finance, and efforts to coordinate higher education in the state. A state autonomy model was developed to investigate the growth of state community college systems. The initial date of state community college legislation was regressed on several political, economic, systemic, and ecological factors. A pooled cross-sectional analysis used generalized least squares to examine the effect of this legislative date on the level of community college enrollments between 1918 and 1986. Results of this study revealed two factors to be significantly associated with the formalization of state community college systems. Western states enacted community college legislation earlier, on average, than other regions of the country. Also, states with greater numbers of existing junior colleges in 1930 were found to have enacted legislation before states with fewer such colleges. In addition, the date when the system was formalized was found to have had a significant effect on enrollment levels. Implications of this study suggest a need for further theoretical development of the state autonomy model. In particular, explanations for the tremendous breadth and diversity of community college legislation found across states needs to be better integrated with changes in the economic and educational structures that accompany or precede such legislation