In May 2013, the governor of Florida signed into law Senate Bill 1720, which fundamentally changed how institutions of higher education manage remedial programs. Institutions seemed to be responding to the high demand for education by channeling large percentages of incoming first-year students to remedial classes based on assessment test scores,…

Points to research findings that have implications for the staffing and administration of college-level study skills centers. (GW)

Although successful by some standards, the basic writing program at Ball State University, Indiana, was altered over a period of several years because it was making incompatible demands on teachers and students alike. Public perception of the course allowed teachers some flexibility in writing instruction, but it demanded instruction in grammar…

The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Special Services for Disadvantaged Students program was reviewed during 1977-1980 using a sample of 11 grantee institutions. Attention was directed to the management of the program, whether program goals were being met, and progress of students in the program. The program's goal is to increase postsecondary…

A national survey of learning laboratories in institutions of higher education, conducted in 1974, is reported in this document. Questionnaires consisting of 70 items on administration, budget, other programs, facility, staffing, services, clients, hardware and software, and evaluation were sent to all college and university learning centers in…

The 12 essays in this collection address the concerns of basic writing teachers and those who teach basic writing teachers. The first essay discusses the characteristics of the low achieving college students who require basic writing instruction and argues for basic writing courses that are based upon a thorough understanding of students' nature…

The history of learning assistance (e.g., courses, tutorials, and counseling) in U.S. senior colleges is traced, starting with the period 1830-1875. With the establishment of New York University in 1830 came a growth of liberal education over classical training and a new emphasis on instruction in English and preparatory education. When the 1862…

This paper addresses developmental education programs as mechanisms for enhancing the survival rates of disadvantaged populations in higher education. Specifically, the paper identifies and discusses the critical dimensions of effective developmental education programs, including recruitment, admissions, diagnosis and prescription, orientation,…

The federally funded Special Services for Disadvantaged Students (SSDS) program is examined for the 1979-80 academic year in 58 institutions; the program's short-term impact on participating freshmen is summarized. Up to 200 students at each site were studied to determine whether program participation levels correlated with outcomes and whether…