Part A

http://0-search.proquest.com.library.uark.edu/docview/219132154?pq-origsite=summon
Title: Why Community College Students Make Successful Transfer Students

Author: Urso, David; John J "Ski" Sygielski.

Date: Winter 2007

Students that are successful in college have many different characteristics that help them be successful.
Tony, a high school graduate, did not get into a state high school, so he decided to go to community college for a
year. He quickly learned that he was able to have more one-on-one attention from professors, which aided in his
success. Tony had the opportunity to get involved with a group on campus which led to him being in a leadership
role. After finishing one year of community college, Tony decided that he was given a lot of great opportunities
there and chose to go back for his second year. He was even able to run for president of his group on campus and
eventually led to Tony graduating with honors. Two years later, Tony was accepted into a top tier law school with
the help of his first two years of college.

Mary Ann, a high school dropout, decided to go back to school to be able to support her family. She chose
community college because she was able to take a few classes at a time which eventually led to being a full time
student. Mary Ann was able to get involved in college life by mentoring other single mothers that were just
starting their educational journey. These community college courses can transfer to a four-year institution where
she would be able to continue her academic success. Community college has low tuition, rich diversity, and smaller
groups so that students are able to join in on college life through campus. Leadership skills, perseverance, time
managing, being socially involved, and resource usage are all characteristics that can make a student successful in
college.

Part B
http://0-search.proquest.com.library.uark.edu/docview/889144539?pq-origsite=summon

Title: Elementary School Teachers and the Crisis in STEM Education

Author: Epstein, Diana; Miller, Raegen T

Date: September 2011

STEM is a learning initiative being used in classrooms all over the country. There is a crisis that
involves the teachers that are teaching these subjects and the fact that they are not properly licensed.
Possible teachers that could teach a STEM course can receive a license without taking higher level
college courses such as chemistry, statistics, or calculous. The completion of these courses would
demonstrate a solid grasp and understanding of math and science. Elementary schools should include
more challenging courses in order of obtain a license.

To improve STEM at the elementary level, the selection process should be more challenging. On
exams, prospective teachers need to be able to pass both the math and science sections to obtain a
STEM license. This change is important in the education system because international tests have shown
that students form the U.S. are behind compared to the rest of the world. There have been an
enormous amount of resources poured into STEM initiatives, but the students test scores in science and
math are very low.