This resource, released in collaboration with the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness, explains the importance of developmental education, its current challenges and how policymakers can contribute to improving outcomes.

Research has consistently shown that community college students lack the necessary skills to achieve successful academic performance and are highly likely to drop out of their studies prior to degree attainment. Community colleges have introduced developmental courses to prepare students for their transition into college-level courses.…

Many students who enter community college are deemed underprepared for college-level courses and are referred to developmental (remedial) education courses to build their math, reading, or writing skills. These students often struggle in developmental courses and in college more broadly. To help them, the City University of New York (CUNY)…

This article provides a review of current and future demographic trends for Texas and the nation including the ongoing discrepancy between enrollment and retention/completion. Students entering postsecondary education embody America's growing diversity in language, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic…

This paper asks whether placement recommendations for a developmental math course at an elite public institution impact students' future academic performance, course-taking, and college outcomes. Researchers use these specific outcomes to measure whether developmental courses help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in college,…

Community colleges are a large sector of postsecondary education. In 2016-2017, the United States had nearly 1,000 public 2-year postsecondary institutions (community colleges), serving almost nine million students, representing 39% of all undergraduates. The majority of entering community college students require developmental (or remedial) math.…

Community colleges continue to increase their efforts to better serve students who enter their institutions with limited basic math, reading, or writing skills. In 2015, MDRC partnered with the Texas Coordinating Higher Education Board on a study to examine how colleges implemented state guidelines for students scoring below ninth-grade…

This report provides an annual update on metrics related to the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) Governing Board Outcomes for University and Transfer Education, Workforce and Economic Development, Developmental Education, and Community Development and Global and Civic Engagement. While this report necessarily looks back in time…

Academically underprepared postsecondary students make up a large proportion of college campuses. Recent estimates indicate that up to 70 percent of incoming students at two-year community colleges and up to 40 percent of incoming students at four-year colleges enroll in developmental courses. There has been some criticism of the effectiveness of…

There is a growing concern that adults who supervise children's play may restrict opportunities for children to engage in risky activities. Risk-benefit assessment is commonly advocated as a way of allowing children to take managed risks within settings. However "risk-benefit" adopts a limited strategy of convincing professionals of the…

As postsecondary institutions increasingly integrate technology into developmental education, it becomes important to understand how technology is used in these programs, what challenges institutions have encountered relating to the technology, and what considerations institutional leaders take into account when deciding whether and how to…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of participation in the LifeSkills Training (LST) program on student outcomes regarding attendance, discipline, and mental health referrals. Four middle schools located in Western and Central Pennsylvania participated in the study. A total number of 231 participants from three schools…

Using self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) as the theoretical framework, this study explored how high-school GPA and motivation contributed to academic performance and persistence among students enrolled in developmental-education courses during the fall of 2016 at a two-year technical college in the Midwest. A non-random purposive…

The Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT) is a national initiative to get more youth with disabilities and their allies involved as leaders who partner with adults and organizations to improve opportunities for youth to succeed in life. "Transition" is the process and period of change that youth go through to become adults.…

Building on previous studies of college students' writing self-efficacy beliefs, this article presents the empirical foundation for a reconceptualized understanding of this identity process. The study assessed 131 college freshmen enrolled in a developmental writing course who were evaluated holistically using grounded theory methodology. The…