GettingPastGo

Article discusses national trends in remedial enrollment and costs, and reasons for continued students' lack of preparation. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 06/06/11)

This brief addresses the current and projected need for skilled workers and the skills immigrants will need to be able to take these positions. These skills are based in academic and higher level thinking skills. The authors provide the rationale and research underlying the need to incorporate these skills into ESL classes, regardless of the level or purpose of the courses (e.g., beginning, life skills). These skills will assist them in transitioning to postsecondary work training, academic settings, or navigating life in general. They address the following skills as being essential to incorporate into the classroom: reading and listening, note taking and organizing information, and critical thinking.

"Some of the conclusions from the review include: * Assessments appear to be more successful in placing academically prepared students than in placing academically underprepared students. * Students who narrowly miss an assessment "cutoff" score and who complete remedial courses are no more likely to complete credit coursework than students with similar scores who continue straight to credit coursework without taking remedial classes first. * Multiple measures for placement, such as high school transcripts and written essays in addition to assessments, may improve placement accuracy, as might the use of more diagnostic and affective assessments. "What we found is that assessment does not appear to be an effective means of placement for all students," said Dr. Hughes. "States may want to do more research in this area before relying too much on one measure, an assessment score in this instance, for placing community college students.""

The pdf download of the report from the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation.

When black students reflected on the idea that everybody, regardless of race or ethnicity, initially struggles to adjust to college, their academic performance and longer-term well-being benefited, according to a paper published on Thursday in the journal Science.

Article mentions a task force's recommendations that cover P-20 issues and include mandating a high school diploma or equivalency for everyone under age 21. The recommendations aim to better prepare students for success in college or careers. A final report is due to the legislature by April 1. (Anchorage Daily News, 03/10/11)

This research paper from the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation's paper, The Return on Investment (ROI) from Adult Education and Training contends that billions of dollars could be earned, saved and pumped back into the struggling economy as a result in investments in effective and efficient workforce development programs.

This paper explores the power of personality traits both as predictors and as causes of academic and economic success, health, and criminal activity.

College Board study on developing multi-dimensional college ready benchmarks

Piece on Fairfax County School District in Virginia's standard high school diploma and the high incidence of remediation at Northern Virginia Community College

"This article provides a rationale for incorporating the development of critical thinking skills into the online learning environment. The author also presents possibilities for building these cognitive skills into online classes. She maintains that incorporating critical thinking skills is a necessary component of learning; these skills assist learners to evaluate and link the abundance of information and ideas that is available via information communication technologies (ICTs). "

Article discusses a comprehensive evaluation of Achieving the Dream, which reveals that overall trends in student outcomes at the first 26 institutions to join the project remained relatively unchanged after five years, even though the colleges adopted a wide range of strategies to improve them. (Inside Higher Ed, 02/10/11)

Report examines the first 26 colleges to join Achieving the Dream. The colleges developed more sophisticated methods for data analysis and efficient systems for monitoring their efforts to improve student achievement. Conversely, about one-fifth of the colleges still struggled to implement many of the initiative's recommended practices, hindered primarily by weak institutional research capacity. (MDRC and Community College Research Center, February 2011)

Article discusses growing resentment of public employees and union workers. Higher education faculty organizations are meeting to discuss concerns and to review draft of California Faculty Association's, "Quality Higher Education for the 21st Century." http://qualityhighered.wordpress.com/
(Inside Higher Ed, 01/21/11)

Examines data from Washington State to chart the educational pathways of first-time community college students, with a focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Looks at rates at which students enter a program of study or concentration, amount of remediation taken by students, and rates at which students earn certificates or associate degrees, or transfer to four-year institutions. The paper makes recommendations for practitioners and policymakers. (Community College Research Center, September, 2011)

Story on opposition to Governor's proposal to cut funding for developmental education.

Here is another link to a similar article. http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/132336380588newsstate01-13-11.htm

Story on the new innovations in college readiness. Includes overview of early assessment programs and the potential impact of the Common Core.

Paper from CCRC identifying the elements of highly effective community colleges.

Study on the effectiveness of the Prentice Hall Algebra 1 curriculum from Pearson. Contends that curriculum prepares students for college math