Traditionally low retention in developmental courses (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010) has led to reformed models of developmental education such as corequisite developmental writing, in which students enroll in a college-level writing class at the same time as a developmental support course (Adams, Gearhart, Miller, & Roberts, 2009). The…

There is an ubiquitous problem with developmental education in community colleges. In 2009-2010, the success rate for developmental English sequence completion in California Community Colleges was 45.4% (California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, n.d.). The purpose of this project was to conduct a needs analysis of how to raise success…

Most community college students are referred to developmental education courses to build basic skills. These students often struggle in these courses and college more broadly. CUNY Start is a prematriculation program for students assessed as having significant remedial needs. CUNY Start students delay matriculation for one semester and receive…

Most community college students are referred to developmental education courses to build basic skills. These students often struggle in these courses and college more broadly. CUNY Start is a prematriculation program for students assessed as having significant remedial needs. CUNY Start students delay matriculation for one semester and receive…

This qualitative research study sought to understand the affordances and limitations of a systemic functional linguistics (SFL) approach to teaching composition at the community college level. The study took place over the course of a semester in two developmental college composition classes using the language of SFL to teach writing through…

This study explores the use of participatory action research (PAR) as pedagogy with adults to create dialog about their educational experiences connected with learning mathematics. The dialog, largely centered on race and poverty and how those aspects factored into their learning, produced the opportunity for critical reflection. This dialog gave…

English Learners (ELs) attend community colleges at a greater rate than four-year schools, making community colleges primary sites of ESL education in American higher education. These institutions' recent embrace of the corequisite structure -- a pairing of a non-credit developmental course with a credit-bearing disciplinary content course in…

College completion rates are low--nearly 40 percent of students do not earn a degree within six years of enrolling in college. Community college students face the highest hurdles--about 60 percent are without a degree six years after matriculating. Research has identified strategies that institutions can use to improve student success and degree…

This interpretive phenomenological study supported by reflective lifeworld research (Dahlberg, Dahlberg & Nystrom, 2008), explores the lived experiences of six community college English composition teachers. This study asks the following question: "How do community college teachers who have taught both developmental and credit level…

California is projected to fall 1.1 million bachelor's degrees short of economic demand by 2030. Expanding access to higher education could help shrink the gap, but California also needs to boost the likelihood that students who enroll in college will stay on track to earn degrees. The share of adults with bachelor's degrees is slightly larger in…

Recent years have brought an increasing amount of attention to the educational experiences and outcomes for men of color. As a group, these students experience some of the lowest rates of success in community college. These inequities in education start early, fueled by racial/gender dynamics, stereotyping, and growing up in under-resourced…

Higher education is facing a challenge with as many as 60% of entering students at community colleges testing into one or more developmental level classes each year (Bailey & Cho, 2010, p. 46). This is a crisis that impacts economics, graduation rates, and student morale. The study of students' perceptions of themselves and their educational…

The United States must raise the graduation rates of community college students if it is to increase economic opportunity for individuals and improve the competitiveness of its workforce. Yet too many students arrive on campus academically underprepared and get placed into developmental (or remedial) courses where they fail to progress. For this…

This qualitative study investigated co-requisite courses which pair a developmental course with a college-level course and offer insight into how co-requisite instructors adjusted their curriculum and pedagogy for English language learners. Specifically, it examined faculty experiences teaching a co-requisite course combining a critical thinking…

A state-wide educational policy change in Texas mandated that the exit levels of developmental reading and writing coursework in every public institution of higher education in the state be merged into one accelerated and integrated developmental reading and writing course. This project examined that curricular shift through the perspectives of…