Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This second interim report,…

Background. Placement in developmental education in college is associated with negative effects on credits earned, course achievement, and degree attainment (Valentine, Konstantopoulos, & Goldrick-Rab, 2017) and requires substantial investments with costs to students and institutions estimated at $1.3 and $7 billion (Ganga, Mazzariello &…

Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This report first offers a…

Recent calls for coursework acceleration, reforms efforts, and promising pedagogical practices have resulted in the reemergence of integrated reading and writing (IRW) courses in community colleges nationwide. To answer such calls, a number of IRW textbooks have been published and implemented rapidly, perhaps out of convenience. This study was a…

This document is intended to be a companion piece for a report entitled "What Happens When Colleges Broaden Access to Transfer-Level Courses? Evidence from California's Community Colleges." It contains the technical appendices as follows: (1) College Profiles; (2) Additional Insights from our Interviews; (3) Data and Methods; (4) Caveat…

This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data to compare the outcomes of students at Chabot College who participated in an accelerated, one-semester developmental English course and their peers who participated in a two-semester sequence. The sample included first-time students who entered college between summer 1999 and fall 2010; students…

This case study tracks the application of project-based learning (PBL) during four separate college terms at Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon. Each term follows a different learning community of first-term college students enrolled in a program of developmental education (DE), reading, writing, math, and college survival and success…

Exploiting a statewide cutoff point on the placement examination used to assign students to remedial courses in Tennessee, this study employs a regression discontinuity research design to provide causal estimates of the effects on student outcomes of recently redesigned remedial courses at three Tennessee colleges. Moreover, using data on student…

In a study that examined transition services for students with disabilities aged 18-21 years in the state of Wisconsin, respondents completed and returned 231 surveys. Survey data indicated that 50% of respondents lived in rural communities. The authors analyzed data for participant perspectives on components of transition planning in the areas of…

The critical literature abounds with examples of possible educational uses of Web 2.0 technology in which students become active participants in the production of knowledge through blogging, social networking, creation of podcasts, and other forms of constructivist education. At the same time, teachers, whom the data indicate are somewhat…

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) is at the forefront of national efforts to align high school curriculum to college and career readiness standards. Embarking on a mission it calls A Personal Journey for Next Generation Learners, Maine has employed several key strategies to ensure all of its students graduate from high school with the…

Describes the development of the Academic Literacy Questionnaire and its use with faculty at the University of Georgia to determine their demands of students and the academic literacy tasks used in instruction. Finds that faculty generally expected students to think critically and be self-motivated, independent learners. (19 citations) (AJL)

Conducted during the 1979-80 school year, this study gathered statistical information as to the success of the developmental mathematics program at Arkansas State University (ASU). The investigation focused on a comparison between Foundation Mathematics students who took Basic Mathematics as a follow-up course and pupils who enrolled in Basic…

A research and development project focused on designing a basic English writing skills curriculum for adult basic education students and implementing that curriculum in a computer-assisted, audio-supported format. Materials were designed for MS-DOS computers and consumer grade audiotape players. The project involved developing 18 computer lessons…

In the course of developing a master plan for the arts at its Metropolitan Campus, Cuyahoga Community College conducted a nation-wide survey of 40 urban community colleges to assess the status of arts instruction and curricula. A 25-item questionnaire solicited information on: (1) the college environment (urban or suburban); (2) total enrollment;…