The special cultural and socioeconomic circumstances that make traditional approaches to teaching ineffective and unsatisfactory for the underprepared student in higher education institutions are examined and special techniques for assisting these students are presented. Some innovative approaches and techniques that have proven effective in…

Since disadvantaged students need more than admission to succeed in college, especially in graduate and professional schools, a comprehensive developmental program is needed, with a full system of student support. Suggestions for institutional and state support, and on campus, a decision-making structure and an advisory structure are recommended.…

The first major objective of this paper is to describe in some detail the research that documents the proposition that even extremely disadvantaged 5-year-olds can be taught to read in kindergarten, and that, contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence of negative side effects from such teaching. The paper also describes an effective academic…

Midlands Technical College has developed a model for a developmental science program which offers assistance to students through a three-phase "spanning for success" approach in which the transition from developmental to curriculum course work is gradual; and the developmental instructor works closely with the student from the time that s/he…

Demonstrates the usefulness and practicality of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) (1979, version 79.5) as a data base management system for a developmental studies program. SAS is available on IBM computers at educational institutions across the country, and it provides an effective tool for data management. (Author)

Project AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a four-year elective high school program that prepares underachieving, disadvantaged students to attend college. The program is now implemented in 58 secondary schools in San Diego County, California. (TE)

In 1974, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia created the developmental studies program in response to a growing number of entering freshmen who were inadequately prepared for curricula assuming mastery of the basic skills. Early attempts to evaluate developmental programs in Georgia simply used standard survey techniques to…

This fastback provides an overview of developmental education at the college level, focusing on what the concept means and how developmental education programs work. Developmental education is an umbrella term that includes both academic and social/psychological support services for underprepared students. Developmental education students are…

An academic support program that integrates learning skills instruction into entry-level college courses is described and evaluated. The program is shown to have a positive effect upon student performance, attrition, and reenrollment patterns. Longitudinal shifts in grade distribution patterns are noted. (Author/MLW)

Background information on Wascana Institute's (Regina, Saskatchewan) existing learning assistance programs is presented along with a proposal for a readily-accessible, one-stop learning assistance center (LAC) that will furnish the information and services underprepared adult learners require to achieve academic success. First, introductory…

A profile is presented in this report of Project HELP (Higher Education Learning Package), a liberal arts instructional program alternative developed to assist high-risk, first-time community college students, with multiple deficiencies in reading, writing, and computational skills, to succeed and continue in college. Introductory material…

Sixteen premedical students from underrepresented minority groups participated in a six-week, six-course program at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (Illinois). Academic performance before and during program participation was compared for students subsequently offered or denied admission. Accepted and denied students could be…

The Purdue University (Indiana) Department of Freshman Engineering offers a counselor-tutorial program to high-potential, but academically disadvantaged, freshmen. The program's counseling and tutorial services are intended to help students successfully complete their first-year courses in calculus, chemistry, and physics. Experience shows…

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…

Describes Laney College's Project Bridge, a basic skills program designed for underprepared community college students. Discusses the program's basic tenets (i.e., student-centered classrooms, the primacy of spoken language, and incorporation of minority group culture and international awareness). Considers the program's goals and organizational…