The problem investigated in this study was the low completion rates of students in mandated developmental education courses at a local community college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that may contribute to the persistence of community college students who have completed mandated…

Students who are in developmental education (DE), like students with disabilities and other students receiving learning supports, are often identified as such a priori, which means the students have already lost control over a certain amount of information about their identities. A student may feel marginalized by the attitudes that others have on…

Christine McPhail formerly served as president at Cypress College in California and is founder and professor emeritus of the Community College Leadership Doctoral Program at Morgan State University in Maryland. She is the Managing Partner for The McPhail Group LLC and currently serves as a Leadership Coach for more than a dozen community colleges…

Discusses avenues developmental studies staff can take in programs, including winning extradepartmental faculty support, strengthening the flow of information to administrators and faculty, and building administrative trust. Emphasizes that administrators need concrete evidence that these programs benefit students and the college. (CAM)

Responds to Anne G. Koehler's "A New Paradigm for Teaching with Technology," which appeared in the Journal of Developmental Education (vol.22, issue 1, Fall 1998). States that the main objective in developmental education is for students to learn, but that teachers should also keep current with new technology and effectively monitor and redesign…

Tacoma Community College (TCC) is a comprehensive institution serving 7,000 students per quarter out of the 200,000 residents of Tacoma-Pierce County. Statistics show that 20% of the student population have not graduated from high school; 21% are from minority groups; and an estimated 60% are academically, educationally, or socially disadvantaged.…

Learning improvement programs for underprepared postsecondary students are reviewed, and a Decision Guide for Effective Programs, which summarizes knowledge needed for decision making, is presented. Research data are analyzed to identify features of learning improvement programs associated with improved grade point average and retention.…

The Transitional Curriculum Program at Virginia State University, which is designed to develop underprepared, dependent learners into independent university students, is described. After distinguishing several types of underprepared learners, the following variables are considered: learner success, role of the instructor, and instructor…