Historical Development Of American Community Colleges And Its Enlightenment

The American Community College is a great short-term higher education initiative, including vocational training in the development of the community college occupying a very important position. It creates a unique area of activity or training market and forms its own characteristics. Since then the unshakable status is established in American higher education system. Just as what the United States Senator Faircloth said: "The community colleges are only successful vocational training projects funded by the United States Government." They train a large number of high-quality talents for the United States, and promote the rapid economic development in the United States.At present there are lots of research works on vocational training in domestic works, but vocational training results have not yet been seen. On the basis of summing up a large number of Chinese and English monographs and papers this paper is divided into four phases in accordance with the historical trail. By comprehensive analysis on the four stages the author hopes new ideas about the development of adult education come out in China. And further some references are provided for stepping out our own way.This thesis is divided into several main parts:At first, it is the introduction. In the study a series of concepts are defined, such as employment, vocational training, community colleges in the United States, vocational training in the United States community college. And at the same time it points out contents frame and theory significance.The first part is that the American Community College has initial vocational training (between the early 20th century and before World Warâ…¡).It explains several prerequisites in vocational training of community college. On the impact of social and cultural factors it introduces some preliminary practice in the United States during this period.Preliminary development of American Vocational training from 1945s to 1970s is the second part. In the initial development of vocational training emerged the characteristics: the introduction of important policies and regulations, the Government and the Foundation's heavily funded, closely integrated with the local community, and vocational training gradually expanding.In the third part vocational training's gradually maturing is introduced in American Community Colleges (from the early 1970s to the early 1980s) .The part deeply analyzes main reasons and clearly shows unique characteristics. And we also learn a typical school model-the development of cooperative education, which provides a reference for our current adult education.The fourth part is that vocational training improves and makes perfect in community colleges since the 1980s. From lifelong education, lifelong learning and social theory of learning, the knowledge economy and economic globalization we learn that a new development stage is proceeding in detail that enterprises and schools are moving toward integration. The rise of contract training is a specific performance for vocational training in the United States. At the same time it introduces the new characteristics emerged in the process of the development.The fifth part is some inspirations for China adult education. Facing current difficulty in the development of our adult education, we make a few more feasible inspirations by learning from successful vocational education experiences.At the end a general summary is given for all the above contents.From the development experience of American Community colleges, we can get some references for our current adult education in domestic universities. We should set up the idea that adult education will take the road of professional manager, even more take seriously by the non-school professional training primarily, further establish the perfect corresponding adult education laws and regulations, perfect social organizations participate in education administration, strengthen government's macroeconomic regulation and control, promote schools and enterprises' cooperation, establish the local characteristics specialty. On the basis of them we can find out the recent development mentality for adult education of our ordinary universities.