Since their inception, community colleges have included the transfer function as a central mission. However, arguments have been made contending that community colleges have systematically diverted students toward occupational education. In the 21st century, community colleges continue to contend with multiple missions and identities, especially when viewed from a workforce-development perspective stressing short-term employability as the primary objective. The two-fold purpose of this study focuses on the academic transfer mission of community colleges in tension with the vocational-occupational mission. We apply document and thematic analysis to identify the elements of formal transfer and articulation policies in the United States leading into the 21st century. Using these results as a framework for comparison, we draw on Massachusetts as a case study to explore how transfer and articulation policies have resembled and/or diverged from the policy elements we isolate. Findings address transfer policy in the context of competing community college missions, both nationally and within
epaa aapeEducation Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 22 No. 20 2 Massachusetts. Implications for future policy formation point to the need for bridging the tension between transfer and occupational missions through the adoption of a) policies advocating explicit transfer opportunities for community college students enrolled in occupational programs, b) the use of stackable credentials to support community college students initially pursuing technical preparation for employment on the way towards subsequent academic advancement, and c) state-specific analysis of transfer policies, applying a framework similar to the one used in this study, to better understand how particular strengths and limitations influence policy reform within the context of state-determined higher education priorities. Keywords: community colleges; transfer; articulation policy; occupational education; document analysis; public higher education; Massachusetts.La evolución de las políticas de transferencia estatales: Esfuerzos persistentes en tensión con el desarrollo de fuerza laboral en las universidades comunitarias de Massachusetts. Resumen: Desde su creación, las universidades comunitarias han incluido la función de transferencia como una misión central. Sin embargo criticas se han hecho sobre que los colegios comunitarios han desviado sistemáticamente a los estudiantes hacia la educación ocupacional. En el siglo 21, los universidades comunitarias continúan lidiando con múltiples misiones e identidades, sobre todo cuando se ve desde la perspectiva de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral haciendo hincapié en la empleabilidad a corto plazo. El doble objetivo de este estudio se centra en la misión de transferencia académica de las universidades comunitarias en tensión con la misión de desarrollo profesional-ocupacional. Aplicamos análisis documental y temático para identificar los elementos de las políticas de transferencia y articulación formal en los Es...