Recent reform efforts in developmental education have led to model-development of college literacy instruction without being informed by institution-specific investigations of whether, how, and to what extent new models align with the literacy rigors of next-level courses across pathways. Such work is essential to informing literacy programming at…

Background/Context: Accelerated instructional strategies for developmental education have been promoted as a way to help underprepared students to progress more quickly through college-level coursework. Yet, what remains unknown is whether certain accelerated strategies are more effective than others and whether this initial acceleration may lead…

Most studies on remedial courses are based on their mandatory attendance. However, changes may have occurred in the attendance policy of developmental math courses since the state of Florida decided to overcome obligatory math remediation for unprepared students. Consequently, researchers have recently started focusing on voluntary math remedial…

The completion of developmental community college (DCC) courses is a crucial step in community college education to reach the national goal of increasing college success. DCC students are a unique population who require specific strategies such as vocabulary retention (VR) to achieve academic success. Prior research on vocabulary has been limited…

We estimate the cost effectiveness of corequisite English developmental education at community colleges compared with a traditional prerequisite pathway. Our context is a previously published randomized controlled trial that estimated the effects of three different approaches to English corequisites implemented in five Texas community colleges.…

Developmental math courses have long been considered a barrier for students (Benken et al., 2015), especially for minority and low-income students, who are enrolled in developmental courses disproportionately to their peers (Chen, 2016). Research has shown that various redesign efforts (e.g., multiple measures placement, corequisite support,…

In response to soaring developmental education enrollments in Texas, the Pioneer Prep Program at Texas Woman's University (TWU) was designed as an alternative pathways-to-placement program for students who neither passed the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) nor met other college-readiness benchmarks needed to enroll in college-level…

The National Association for Developmental Education (NADE) Accreditation process is more relevant and important than ever to the discussion of students' success and completion of meaningful credentials. In the current politically-charged climate, NADE Accreditation helps programs demonstrate not only to themselves and their administrations, but…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to focus on the descriptions and roles of community college administrators and faculty who shared their experiences during the planning phases for implementation of Guided Pathways to Success reform in a Southwestern states community college district. The study discerned which GPS model…

The purpose of this article is to explore SI's alignment to theories of adult learning and development which are the underpinnings of developmental education. We begin by identifying adult learning and development theories that have influenced the field of developmental education and then examine descriptions of SI in the literature to explore…

This critical reflective essay highlights three significant moments in one White woman's ongoing efforts to move beyond performative equity work. Through this narrative, the author sheds light on the unspoken rules of Whiteness that limited her engagement with race, reflecting on ways that colorblind etiquette prevented her from seeing her Black…

For decades, colleges and universities have been grappling with the task of closing the readiness gap for underprepared writers entering the higher education system. Traditional developmental education models are costly and inefficient at best, and detrimental to the matriculation of students at worst. Bridge programs have had moderate success,…

Critical race theory (CRT) continues to push a hot button within education. In higher education, these discussions often center 4-year colleges and universities, leaving community colleges out of the conversation. On top of that, developmental mathematics remains a racialized impediment for students from minoritized backgrounds. In this article,…

In the United States, students often graduate from high school unprepared to succeed in college. In Alabama, fewer than 25% of high school graduates are college ready. Frequently, unprepared students enroll in community colleges, which are tasked to help them transfer to a four-year institution or to enter the workforce. However, students who need…

Online education has increased access to higher education for many populations of students. One group of students that has grown in this area are nontraditional students. A sub-population of this group that is absent from the research are nontraditional students of color. Using the conceptual frameworks of Adult Learning Theory and…