Despite the need, persistence in remediation hovers at 50% (NCES, 2002) while nearly one third of community college enrollees arrive under-prepared (Hess, 2009). Persistence is correlated with academic preparation (Nash & Kallenbach, 2009), and barriers to persistence include a number of demographic barriers (Education, 2006; Labaree, 2006).…

Twenty years ago, Massachusetts enacted its landmark Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA), which put the state at the forefront of the nation's move toward standards-based education. The Act kicked off two decades of reform that have built one of the best educational systems in the country; the state's students, on the whole, have achieved…

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…

The Houston Independent School District offers two primary bilingual programs for Spanish-speaking English-language learners (ELLs). In both programs, students may transition into a pre-exit phase of bilingual education so long as they meet certain performance criteria. In this Pre-Exit phase, predominantly English-language instruction is used in…

For years, colleges have used placement exams to determine whether to deem incoming students "college ready" or assign them to developmental education. But emerging information reveals the tests have little correlation to students' future success, casting doubt on their use even as the high stakes for students of taking remedial courses…

The eleven state applications approved by the federal government for waivers under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act vary in the degree to which "deeper learning" skills are reflected in the standards, accountability systems, professional development, and teacher evaluations, according to a new policy brief written by the Alliance for…

LifeLink is an innovative college bridge and retention program, developed and run by Good Shepherd Services, a nonprofit community agency providing youth development, education, and family services. Good Shepherd Services partners with the New York City Department of Education to help students who have struggled in school, or who have dropped out…

Historical context informs the work of student affairs professionals and others in higher education in striking the right balance in helping prepare students for life after college, but significant new pressures face students, their mentors, and educational institutions today. This chapter discusses the contexts that shape the work of student…

Postsecondary educators have expressed concerns for many years about how prepared high school students are for college. As a result, states and organizations have launched a variety of initiatives designed to increase high school students' readiness for college, including increased access to college-level courses. One of the most promising…

Wanting to elucidate the relationship between student success and employment outcomes, the authors of this study sought to devise a methodology to (a) measure the alignment between the educational/community college experience and potential careers and (b) explore factors that may inform the alignment between college and career. Data were collected…

This article describes the role that schools are playing in supporting career development for young people. It examines the history of career-related programming in schools, including school-to-work programs, career and technical education, the college and career readiness movement, and current school reform initiatives. This understanding of…

Four elements contribute to a classroom's success or failure as a learning environment: student needs, instructor approach, course content, and institutional setting. This chapter discusses the challenge of aligning these elements in the developmental classroom.

In this article the author has used 19th-century arithmetic and algebra textbooks as a way to reflect on current practices in developmental mathematics education. Five areas of special interest were found: motivation, relevance, depth, pedagogy, and textbooks. Philosophic and practical statements from vintage textbook authors remind educators of a…

The revisions to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 require that career and technical education (CTE) programs provide students with a clear pathway from secondary to postsecondary education, and into high-wage, high-skill and high-demand careers. States nationwide are developing programs, called career pathways, to…

This study examines the effects of math readiness and student course behavior (e.g., attendance, participation, homework completion) on knowledge gain and course success using two samples of students enrolled in foundational skills (noncredit-bearing) mathematics courses. As hypothesized, entering student mathematics readiness and course behavior…