Each year, the Illinois community colleges conduct comprehensive reviews of their current program offerings. In fiscal year 1994, the colleges reviewed a total of 870 occupational, 176 general education or academic, 53 developmental and adult education, 90 academic and student support, and 22 other programs. Occupational programs were reviewed in…

In winter 1995, a study was conducted at Rochester Community College (RCC), in Minnesota, to examine the effectiveness of a study skills class (SS198). Specifically, the study sought to determine if the course met established criteria of retaining 50% of completers in good academic standing for 1 year, to compare retention rates to non-enrolled…

As part of a review of policies and procedures regarding postsecondary remedial education, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) administered two surveys in fall 1982. The first survey sampled 10% of the students who had transferred to the state's public universities from a community college in fall 1979 to determine why transfer students…

In response to statewide reductions in funding for remedial college programs, the English and speech faculty at Daley College (DC) developed and implemented a special block program in fall 1988 for remedial/developmental students. The goal of the program is to prepare remedial students for college-level work within the 30 hours of remediation…

The Prefreshman Summer Program for academically and economically handicapped students at the City University of New York (CUNY) was evaluated in 1985 and compared to previous evaluations. The voluntary, 6-week transitional program provides intensive basic skills instruction, tutoring, counseling, and financial aid to incoming students who fail to…

This study focused on the factors that were positive contributors to the success of two-year college students at six colleges who were or had been enrolled in basic skill developmental programs. For study purposes, success involved student eligibility to continue in a chosen program. Variables used in evaluating student success/non-success…

In fall 1994, New York City Technical College established the Developmental Education Task Force to review the current state of developmental education (DE) at the college and recommend policy and program changes. The Task Force gathered quantitative data from analyses of DE enrollment trends, student characteristics, and graduation rates, as well…

In 1991, Bronx Community College, in New York, established the Freshman Year Initiative Program (FYIP), a comprehensive academic and counseling program designed to enhance academic achievement for a select group of first-semester students who require at least three remedial courses in English composition, reading, and/or mathematics. In order to…

This paper discusses the role of developmental or remedial education in higher education. Some students enroll in developmental courses because they are reentering college after many years out of a classroom. Others are recent high school graduates seeking better study skills and yet others are students lacking required course work from high…

These three serial issues focus on the characteristics and administration of developmental education programs. The following articles are featured: (1) "Characteristics of Successful Programs," which reviews research findings concerning the characteristics associated with effective and ineffective developmental programs and includes a list of…

Five state universities' programs to enhance persistence and graduation rates among minority students are profiled. For each, the graduation or persistence rate for a specific cohort is provided for all students, student athletes, and by ethnic group (American Indian, Asian American, Black, White, Other). Characteristics and goals of each program…

Founded in 1968, the Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University (Massachusetts) continues to offer intensive remedial math and English for students who might not be admitted to college otherwise. The tuition-free program has been highly successful in turning mediocre high school performance into college achievement. Most participants are…

The work the authors are going to describe in this paper is an account of the attempt to re-establish an educational relationship with adolescent drop-outs, for whom school often represented a cage from which they either escaped or were expelled. An experimental school scheme named the Chance Project has been operating in Naples for the past three…

This monograph addresses developmental education in the 21st Century, identifying the major issues and providing examples of successful developmental programs. The first chapter, "Access and the New America of the Twenty-First Century," emphasizes several changes in American society that have affected access to education and…

This report on the effectiveness of Shelby State Community College's (SSCC) Academic and Developmental Services (A/D) Program consists primarily of statistical tables that describe three cohorts of full- and part-time students; i.e., those currently enrolled students who entered the college in fall 1985, 1986, or 1987. Data are presented on basic…