Efforts to improve student learning and success at community colleges are in the national policy spotlight. Colleges around the country are reviewing their institutional practices and gathering groups of education stakeholders to design and then implement changes in advising, developmental education, programs of study and curricula, student…

Improving the success of academically underprepared students who are in need of developmental (or remedial) education is a key challenge facing community colleges today. Many of these students enter college with little awareness of these institutions' expectations or a clear model for how to make effective decisions about their academic careers.…

The transition from high school to college can be more difficult for some students than others. States continue to report high numbers of students requiring remediation; Minnesota is not exempt from this trend. Examining Minnesota public high school graduates from the Classes of 2007-2013 who enrolled in postsecondary education and those enrolled…

It's an old adage: When the economy declines, community college enrollments rise. A fall 2009 report from the American Association of Community Colleges says enrollments were up nearly 17 percent compared with fall 2007. However, nearly a third of those students have already dropped out of college. Further, roughly half will not return for their…

As colleges increasingly understand the importance of intentionally engaging students, the field must turn to the game-changing challenge: "bringing high-impact practices to scale as part of a concerted effort to increase college completion rates." In an era of growing demand, shrinking budgets, and greater accountability, meeting this…

Quinsigamond Community College (QCC), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, experienced a decline in enrollment and persistence between 2003 and 2007. The institution responded to this issue through several initiatives, including the creation of an orientation course for developmental students enrolled in its General Studies program, an Event…

In this Brief the authors first report on evidence about the effectiveness (or, unfortunately, in too many cases, the ineffectiveness) of remediation and then provide information about the progression of students through the developmental sequence. They discuss problems associated with the crucial assessments and make a brief statement about…

Chaffey College, a three campus college with approximately 20,000 students located California's Inland Empire, has become the destination of many community college practitioners from around the country. The reason why? Over the past ten years, the college has become nationally-known as an institution with a "risk tolerant change-oriented…

Using data from the Virginia Community College System and building upon prior Florida-based research, this study examines whether student success course enrollment has positive associations with shorter term student outcomes, including earning any college credits within the first year and persisting into the second year. The present study finds…

A previous working paper argued, that, to understand basic skills education, it is necessary to observe classrooms to see what the "instructional triangle" involving the instructor, students, and content is like. This working paper presents the results of observing classes in 13 community colleges. It starts with a conceptualization of…

This case study explores the impact of metacognitive reading strategies on the ability of five college students in developmental courses to self-regulate while reading. Instruction in reading strategies derived from past research on metacognition was scaffolded, based on Pearson and Gallagher's (1983) model of gradual release of responsibility.…

This report is Iowa's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The overall goal of…

Each year millions of young people graduate from high school and enroll in colleges and universities across the country, and many of these students are underprepared for the demands and academic rigor of college-level courses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were significant differences in graduation rates between students…

This article discusses the successful use of technology, rather than lectures, by Tennessee's community colleges to teach developmental reading and math. The redesign occurred with the support of the National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT). In fall 2007, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) staff convened meetings to familiarize its…

In recent years, developmental education in the community colleges has received much attention. However, there has been little research examining the relationship between course length and course success in developmental education. Using historical enrollment data from a large, suburban community college in southern California, this study examines…