A Study On Rural Community Colleges In The U.S.

American rural community colleges originated from Junior College Movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. During over 100-year development, they have been professional community education institutions and have played an important role in rural community development in the U.S. Along with the modernization, however, some American rural communities lag behind the urban. In the mid 1990s, aiming at the draggling status of American rural communities, the Ford Foundation launched Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). In RCCI, rural community and tribal colleges are ideally positioned to become catalysts for regional development. Under the guidance of theoretical mode of education sociology and education ecology, the dissertation analyses the American rural community colleges by the analysis frame of state issues in comparative education, the element analysis, the historical reference, and comparing ways.The thesis is divided into five parts. The first part defines and explains related concepts of American rural community colleges, and the second one reviews its. backgrounds and historical development. In order to gain a comprehensive knowledge about American rural community colleges, the third part analyses the operating system of American rural community colleges, which includes the classification of American community colleges, the general situation of American rural community colleges, the administrative system, the organizing members, the organizing condition, the major, the curriculum, the teaching activities of American rural community colleges, and the RCCI. And then, on the basis of the background context and education facts, the thesis summarizes the functions and characteristics of American rural community colleges. Finally, after presenting problems with Chinese rural community education and rural development, the thesis provides some references and inspirations for it.