There is growing evidence of successful strategies to help keep students from disadvantaged backgrounds motivated to persist in school and succeed in college. These strategies draw from scientifically validated theory and research and they typically involve simple, yet careful, implementation techniques and so educators can expect them to be more…

Houston school officials noticed their best performing low-income students weren't applying to Ivy League and selective colleges. In response, they created EMERGE, a program that develops and guides talented youths toward a top-college path.

Jane walks your hallways and those of many colleges and universities across the country. Angry, defiant, and frustrated, she is deeply in debt with college loans and without a single college credit to her name. "She's come undone," as the song says, and there is concern among the staff that she may well hurt someone. According to the…

Years ago, the popular TV game show "Let's Make a Deal" required its contestants to choose one of three doors. Contestants were just as likely to win expensive items such as cars and exotic vacations as they were to win a crate of lemons. Helping their child reach decisions about college may at times lead parents to feel as if they are contestants…

In its analysis of more than 15,000 high school transcripts, the Education Trust-West found that non-college-bound students tend to take a weak academic load and disconnected electives. As a result, far too many students--most often low-income students and students of color--are bound for low-level jobs, prepared for neither college nor career.…

More high school students today are graduating college-ready, career-ready or both, thanks to an emphasis by modern business and industry, strong support from states and more rigorous learning experiences at schools across the nation. It has been said many times, but now it is sinking in. From hospitals to factories, employees need to know how to…

Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) began as a small trade school in 1965. It has now become the largest institution of higher education in New Mexico in terms of enrollment. While most educational institutions offer student support in the form of academic advisers and counselors, CNM is a trailblazer. Beyond academic advisers, it has a…

To have a meaningful, fulfilling career in the 21st century workplace, students need technical and academic skills as well as the ability to think and work collaboratively with others. Career education must begin in middle school or earlier to allow students time to develop the aptitudes, skills and attitudes necessary to develop an awareness of…

Ted Miller, professor of counseling and human development at the University of Georgia, defines developmental education and student development and then discusses the components of the Tomorrow's Higher Education Model for Student Development and the need for student affairs practitioners to foster student development rather than cater to…

Discusses the importance of academic support services in ensuring the effectiveness of developmental programs. Describes the Learning Assistance Support System developed in Washington's community college system and Luzerne County Community College's Institute for Developmental Educational Activities. (DMM)

ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS[R]) is designed to guide and support schools, districts, and states in their efforts to improve students' readiness for life after high school. EPAS provides a longitudinal approach to educational and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation. EPAS components are…

A master plan is proposed for developmental education at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. Introductory material discusses basic questions related to developmental education in the areas of access and mission, program and resources, and guidance and placement. This section also establishes the goal of the college's developmental education…

This handbook describes the developmental education program at Alvin Community College (ACC) in terms of its philosophy, purpose, operation, implementation, and assessment. The first section examines the mission of ACC; the history of the developmental education program at the college and its current organizational structure; and the need for the…

The Strive Toward Excellence Program (STEP) of the University of Akron (Ohio) is a pre-college preparatory program designed to encourage, motivate, and prepare minority and economically disadvantaged students to acquire a strong secondary education and to attend and successfully complete college. Students are selected while enrolled in the sixth…

Using the experiences of Rockland Community College (RCC) as examples, this paper suggests a number of successful cognitive and affective strategies for the educationally disadvantaged in community colleges, focusing on those which are competency based, cost effective and retention sensitive. First, trends in developmental/remedial education are…