arlier this year the United States Department of Education funded the League for Innovation in the Community College to conduct the Community College Transition Initiative (CCTI). The primary goal of the CCTI is to strengthen the role of community and technical colleges throughout the United States in easing student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education. The CCTI is also dedicated to enhancing student transitions to employment and improving academic performance at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. The initiative strives to develop rigorous academic programs of study oriented toward broad occupational areas affiliated with:

• Health science
  
• Information technology
  
• Education and training
  
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
  
• Law, Public Safety and Security

During summer 2003, along with Elisabeth Barnett, I was invited to join the CCTI research team to conduct field visits to nine of the sites. Our assignment is to visit each program and conduct interviews with key decision makers and stakeholders so that we can prepare a written description of the current status and future plans for academic/career pathways in three of the occupational fields: health sciences, education and training, and STEM. To date, Elisabeth and I have completed five visits to community colleges in Dayton, Ohio, Elyria, Ohio, Annapolis, Maryland, Miami, Florida, and St. Louis, Missouri, with visits to Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Annandale, Virginia remaining before the end of the 2003 calendar year.

Because two of the CCTI sites already visited have emphasized education and training, we felt it would be timely and important to our readers to share preliminary information about how these two initiatives are dedicating themselves to working with high schools as an integral part of their new teacher preparation career pathways. The two sites are the Anne Arundel Community College near Annapolis, Maryland and the Lorain County Community College located in Elyria, Ohio, just west of Cleveland. From our view, what is particularly important about these initiatives is that they are building systemic linkages between high schools, community colleges, and four-year university teacher education programs as a way of recruiting and engaging students in the teacher education pathway. Utilizing a "grow your own" philosophy, both sites believe that the time to attract students into teaching is during the high school years when they are formulating initial ideas about future careers. Certainly, neither program plans a lock-stop, no exit strategy, recognizing that high school students may be far from making a final decision about their future career. However, the programs acknowledge that many high school students contemplate college and career simultaneously. Giving these students an early experience with teaching may entice them to consider a career in education. Of course, some may decide against teaching, but that's OK too, according to local officials. Helping students understand their future career options in education is an important part of the high school exploratory phase of each of these CCTI initiatives.

Local officials in Maryland and Ohio are quick to point out the full potential of their initiatives is far from fully realized because they have just begun a five-year commitment to the CCTI project and the League. Still, as a visitor to each program, it is obvious that seeds of change are being sown. Each of these CCTI initiatives is creating a sequential curricular pathway that extends from high school to the community college and on to the university level. The programs have strikingly similar goals and outcomes, but there are important differences in the two approaches. One begins the CCTI project building from strengths at the community college level, while the other starts with a more fully developed secondary program and focuses more attention on new development at the postsecondary level. Ultimately, the two programs strive to get to the same point - the creation of a seamless teacher preparation pathway extending from high school through at least the baccalaureate degree. A brief description of a few elements of each teacher preparation pathway helps to illustrate this point.

Anne Arundel Community College's Teacher Pathway Initiative

Prior to CCTI, Anne Arundel Community College had already established itself as the leading community college in the state of Maryland on the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT). Some would argue Anne Arundel's leadership is nationally known on this issue. Neither of these observations is particularly surprising when one has a chance to sit down with the college leadership and listen to their detailed and passionate commitment to teacher preparation. With such strong leadership, it is not surprising that Anne Arundel has made a commitment to enhance several existing elements of its own teacher education program while engaging its leadership in major developments at the secondary level.

• Tech Prep is a foundational approach to CCTI, having been headquartered at Anne Arundel Community College for over a decade. Described as highly successful and fully institutionalized, Anne Arundel's Tech Prep initiative has developed articulated curriculum with high schools in over 20 career programs. Local partnerships between educational institutions and local employers provide a solid basis from which to draw support. In the case of the teacher preparation pathway that is seen as an integral part of Tech Prep, the county school system is a major sponsor for internships, field placements, student teaching, and the eventual employment of graduates entering the teaching field.
  
  
• In Maryland, teacher education geared toward the AAT is now a funded career-technical education (CTE) program, creating a curricular continuum that is integrated with and expanded beyond the college's existing AAS-degree Early Childhood Education Program. The curriculum ensures students have a common course sequence for various pathways in teacher education, including elementary and secondary education. College officials proclaim proudly that the AAT degree is "100% transferable to every college of education in every public and private college and university in the state."
  
  
• " The University Consortium is a partnership between Anne Arundel Community College and several four-year colleges and universities connecting the associate degree with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from three member institutions. The University Consortium is located in a new facility at Arundel Mills, a new shopping mall located in a rapidly growing region of the county.
  
  
• The Academy of Teaching Professions, developed in 2000 as a joint effort of the county public schools and community college, involves five high schools with all twelve high schools scheduled to participate eventually. The Academy introduces students to teaching by engaging them in an exploratory course at the 11th or 12th grade level. Classroom observations, field trips, and career day programs are included, and internships are planned for the future. When the curriculum is fully implemented, local administrators believe Academy courses offered at the high school level will provide 6 dual (high school/college) credits, including meeting the requirements of the initial "Foundations of Education" course that all education majors are required to complete.
  
  
• Bringing all of the elements mentioned above together, the newly formed "Teacher Education And Child Care" or TEACH Institute operates as a one-stop shop for teacher preparation and professional development. The Institute has the goal of providing pathways and opportunities for entry into the teaching profession that culminate in the AAT, the AAS, various certifications and noncredit professional development options. According to the college, "the TEACH Institute offers one place to go, one number to call for future teachers or child care professionals, or for those already in the field who would like to improve their professional skills." Headquartered at the University Consortium, the TEACH Institute offers local citizens of all ages the opportunity to connect with the college and gather information and learning experiences in teacher education.

Lorain County Community College's Teacher Preparation Pathway

Demonstrating an equally high level of enthusiasm for addressing the local teacher shortage through its own "grow your own" philosophy, Lorain County Community College, the Lorain County Joint Vocational School, and several surrounding school districts formed a partnership committed to creating a high school to community college to four-year college/university teacher preparation pathway. Clearly stated in the community college's mission, and articulated with enthusiasm by the college president, Lorain County Community College considers its work with K-12 education fundamental to serving the community, supporting workforce and economic development, and enabling its citizens to maintain a viable standard of living. A cornerstone of the commitment to its partnerships with K-12 schools is the new CCTI project to build teacher preparation pathways.

• The Teacher Education Exploration (TEE) program is operated by the Lorain County Joint Vocational School in conjunction with Lorain County Community College. It is an experience-based high school class that encourages and prepares high school seniors with an interest in the field of education to become future teachers, counselors, or administrators through internships, lectures, online instruction, guest speakers, and field trips. Starting with 16 students two years ago, expanding to over 60 students last year, and enrolling about 120 students this year, the TEE program has experienced enormous growth. This year, students from three high schools are involved in TEE. Taking course work in their high schools four days a week, on one day students from all three schools come together on the community college campus for advising and engagement in student academic and support/development activities.
  
  
• Utilizing a $50K grant from the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Board of Regents, Lorain County Community College conducted regional convening sessions to bring together higher education institutions offering teacher education programs. A total of 13 institutions participated in these sessions and their outcome was an AAT in teacher education agreement. Three applications have been submitted by Lorain County to the state for approval, including programs in early childhood, elementary and secondary, and paraprofessional. As a result of this collaborative work, Lorain County has applied for funding to develop a math education program with the University of Akron. Demonstrating its strong commitment, college officials indicate this initiative will go on whether external funding is secured or not.
  
  
• A new leader of the CCTI project at Lorain County has been hired because of his experience in student services, including having a background working with upward bound, Bridges to Success, and Opening Doors projects that reach out to first generation, low income and minority students. Building on his extensive first-hand experience with student services, TEE students are getting to know this individual on a first name basis as he is visiting their high schools, getting to know them one on one, and interacting with their teachers. Most importantly, this community college official is providing a visible personal connection to the students that is hoped to build a personal bridge to the college. Presently engaged in an intensive needs assessment effort, this aspect of the CCTI project will continue to unfold in terms of how student services will enhance students' curricular experiences and transition to college.
  
  
• Providing the capstone to the teacher preparation career pathway, the University Partnership, located on the main campus of Lorain County Community College, provides Bachelor's degree or graduate degree programs in several career fields, including teacher education. The Partnership enables students to obtain a bachelor's degree in teaching from Ashland University, with two additional programs in the proposal stage: a B.S. in Secondary Math Education from University of Akron and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Bowling Green State University.

For more information about these two CCTI projects and other initiatives affiliated with the CCTI, go to the League for Innovation in Community Colleges at www.League.org/CCTI.