This document addresses the needs of students that enter community colleges unprepared at entry postsecondary coursework and therefore require remedial, basic skills, and/or developmental education programs. The major student groups served by developmental programs are recent high school graduates, returning adults, high school dropouts, illiterate adults, and immigrants and students with limited English proficiency. In the last 10 years, community colleges have begun using new approaches towards developmental education. They include the following: (1) successful collaboration between high school and community colleges; (2) model 2-year and 4-year partnerships; (3) service learning programs on community college campuses; and (4) urban community college systems configured to serve as "Gateways to Democracy." The document discusses recent trends in remedial education as explained by two major studies completed by the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Study of Community College Remediation. Other topics addressed in the document include challenges to the educational community, basic skills education, assessment, and mission at Colleges of Contra Costa, standing policy issues, strategic planning discussions on basic skills, future challenges and goals of basic skills education, and grant opportunities and available resources. Contains 22 references and 5 addendums. (MZ)