Sponsored by a special interest group of the International Reading Association, the focus of this journal issue is on college reading improvement. Chapter titles include "College Level Developmental Reading and Study Skills Programs: Survey Report and Overview"; "Providing Assistance to College Science Teachers"; "Sitting in on Doctors Pompous and…

Since the developmental studies program at Amarillo College began in 1974, continuing efforts have been made to assess the characteristics, attitudes, motivations and goals of the high-risk students in the program, which was designed to build self-concept and improve reading, English, math and study skills. Over the three years of the study,…

This paper describes the structure and operation of an evaluation system for the developmental education program at Dalton Junior College (Georgia). All applicants for admission to the college who score below 330 on either section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test are required to take the Comparative Guidance and Placement (CGP) test to determine…

Elaborates some strategies for incorporating soap opera into a composition course for remedial English students. Approach provides an instructional uniformity--everyone will be writing on the same subject matter; and plot, narrative, characterization, structure, etc. can be discussed and essay topics developed. (NKA)

A program to recruit and retain minority group optometry students is described, including the program's design, student financial aid, a preenrollment enrichment program to ease the adjustment to professional school, and the personal and academic program outcomes. (MSE)

Describes students' perceptions of their studies in the Preacademic School at the Hebrew University and discusses their attitudes, expectations, and opinions with regard to a desirable preacademic preparatory program. Students expressed concern about deficiencies in learning skills. (ML)

Through focus group interviews, this study explores at risk high school students' perceptions of their communities. Participants are members of a Maine Upward Bound program that pre-identified them as low SES, and first-generation college bound students. My purpose for this study is to discover if students who are at risk of public school failure…

A joint study was undertaken by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery College (MC), in Maryland, to determine the characteristics of MCPS graduates enrolled at MC and patterns in their developmental course placement. Data were collected for 13,575 MCPS graduates from 1992 and 1993 who enrolled in regular semester terms within…

Project AFFIRM (African-American First Investment Return Module) was established at Evergreen Community College in fall 1989 as a comprehensive academic and support program to help African-American students achieve their college transfer or associate degree goals. AFFIRM courses have the same content as traditional courses, but utilize…

The American Association of Community Colleges commissioned this study of remedial education in community colleges as a framework for describing context, generating discussion, and encouraging improvement. The study reviews current research about open-door policies, underprepared students, faculty, and remedial programs. It also argues that…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether computer-assisted instruction integrated with lecture/discussion would improve student performance in developmental English when compared to a traditional lecture/discussion instructional method. A total of 180 community college students were enrolled in one of six sections of developmental English.…

This document reports on student outcomes in developmental English and mathematics courses at Germanna Community College (Virginia) for the academic period 1994-2000. The study addressed four main issues: (1) the proportion of students enrolled in developmental math and English courses; (2) the success rate for students in developmental courses;…

A discussion of pragmatic issues in both developmental studies (DS) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction at the college level argues that because the two fields have common problems, challenges, and objectives, they have become homogenized as one in many institutions. Because full-time college faculty avoid teaching developmental…

Describes South Suburban College's implementation of the Structured Open Access Model, an interventionist system that responds to underprepared students. (YKH)

Describes Wilson's experience in Ithaca College's Teaching Apprenticeship in Writing, a program that introduces teaching apprentices to the instructional process and pairs them with professor mentors. (VWC)