Nationwide, close to 40 million adults lack a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) credential. About a quarter of high school freshmen do not graduate in four years, and while many high school dropouts eventually do attend GED preparation classes, too few ever pass the GED exam or go on to college. Students with only a…

A significant challenge in higher education is to narrow the educational attainment gap between academically prepared and unprepared students. To this end, developmental or remedial education is intended to improve the academic skills and knowledge of students who are unprepared for undergraduate coursework, particularly in the areas of…

With the increase in the number of organizational leadership development programs, there is a pressing need for evaluation to answer important questions, improve practice, and inform decisions. The Handbook is a comprehensive resource filled with examples, tools, and the most innovative models and approaches designed to evaluate leadership…

Although transition outcomes for youth with disabilities have shown some improvement and transition support practices have been identified, many young people continue to face transition barriers that preclude their full participation in key adult life activities. While research efforts have largely been professionally driven, there is emerging…

Research in the past decade suggests that a persistent achievement gap between students from low-income minority backgrounds and higher-income white backgrounds may be rooted in theories of student motivation and youth purpose. Yet limited research exists regarding the role of purpose on positive youth development as it pertains to academic…

This publication is intended to be used as a sourcebook and reference by practitioners interested in postsecondary developmental programs, with a particular focus on occupational students. The information presented was derived from a statewide survey of staff members involved in the operation of developmental programs in 51 two-year colleges and…

Strong faculty relationships can benefit developmental programs by increasing referrals, creating a climate of support for developmental activities, and increasing resources available to programs; therefore, finding, keeping, and using faculty friends represent essential needs for such programs. Faculty friends may be generated in a number of ways…

Quinsigamond Community College (QCC), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, experienced a decline in enrollment and persistence between 2003 and 2007. The institution responded to this issue through several initiatives, including the creation of an orientation course for developmental students enrolled in its General Studies program, an Event…

In this Brief the authors first report on evidence about the effectiveness (or, unfortunately, in too many cases, the ineffectiveness) of remediation and then provide information about the progression of students through the developmental sequence. They discuss problems associated with the crucial assessments and make a brief statement about…

From 2005 to 2011, the Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education partnered with three public entities in New York City--the Department of Education, the City University of New York and the Health and Hospitals Corporation--to introduce, educate, and prepare urban high school students for careers in the health professions. Gateway was launched in…

The impact of developmental mathematics programs on student success in college-level mathematics has been a controversial topic in higher education. One limitation of the current research is that scholars have been unable to isolate the causal impact of such participation on the student's success in college-level mathematics because it is…

Pre-Kindergarten children's diagnostic screening and standardized test scores from 1979 to 1984 were analyzed to compare the school achievement of children placed in a developmental kindergarten program (DKP) with children given regular instruction. Of 475 subjects, 81 participated in a DKP, while 394 did not. Statistical analyses were performed…

Many school administrators view teenage pregnancy as a top problems facing their school systems. Programs designed to reduce the teenage pregnancy rate must address multiple factors connected with teenage pregnancy. School-based clinic programs provide comprehensive primary health care for low income youth, require parental consent, provide mental…

The effectiveness of the Dallas, Texas Project KIDS (Kindling Individual Development Systems) on the developmental progress of 17 developmentally delayed and physically handicapped children (aged 18 months or less at pretest) was studied, and the accuracy of projections of children's progress made by professionals was investigated. The Bayley…

AT GRAND RAPIDS JUNIOR COLLEGE, A DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED FOR ENTERING STUDENTS WITH HIGH SCHOOL GRADE AVERAGES OF 1.5 OR LESS IN ACADEMIC SUBJECTS. TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS PROGRAM, THE AUTHOR COMPARED THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF THREE GROUPS--(1) A CONTROL GROUP OF LOW ACHIEVERS WHO ENROLLED IN THE COLLEGE BEFORE THE…