Publications
The Wiley Handbook of Adult Literacy
This handbook presents a wide range of research on adults who have low literacy skills. It looks at the cognitive, affective, and motivational factors underlying adult literacy; adult literacy in different countries; and the educational approaches being taken to help improve adults’ literacy skills.
Creating Accelerated Pathways for Student Success in Mathematics: A Snapshot of Courses Offered at the Launch of the Mathematics Pathways to Completion Project
This research brief describes findings from a survey about mathematics course offerings at institutions in six states implementing mathematics pathways.
Adapting Lesson Study for Community College Mathematics Instruction: Early Observations
This short report provides a rationale for implementing Lesson Study, a collaborative and structured professional development approach, in the community college context.
Early Outcomes of Texas Community College Students Enrolled in Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Prerequisite Developmental Courses
This study examines if students participating in Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) developmental courses enroll in and pass college-level math courses at higher rates than students who take traditional developmental math courses.
How and Why Higher Education Institutions Use Technology in Developmental Education Programming
This paper explores how technology is integrated into developmental education programming and considerations for institutional leaders when deciding whether and how to integrate technology in developmental education.
Teaching Matters and So Does Curriculum: How CUNY Start Reshaped Instruction for Students Referred to Developmental Mathematics
This paper describes key features of CUNY Start mathematics and how it differs from traditional developmental education.
English Learners and ESL Programs in the Community College: A Review of the Literature
This paper examines factors within the community college context that affect the experiences and academic outcomes of the English learner population broadly and students who enroll in ESL courses in particular.
Modernizing College Course Placement by Using Multiple Measures
Written in conjunction with the Education Commission of the States, this brief provides an overview of multiple measures assessment and placement and describes how several states are implementing the approach.
Mathematics Pathways to Completion: Setting the Conditions for Statewide Reform in Higher Education
This report describes the Mathematics Pathways to Completion project developed by the Charles A. Dana Center and the condititions that facilitate the statewide implementation of math pathways reforms.
Math Pathways: Expanding Options for Success in College Math
This brief, written in collaboration with the Education Commission of the States, describes three math pathways models, lays out the evidence for their effectiveness, and gives recommendations for the effective implementation of math pathways.
Multiple Measures Placement Using Data Analytics: An Implementation and Early Impacts Report
This report from the Center for the Analysis for Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) examines implementation of a multiple measures placement system at seven State University of New York community colleges and presents results on first-term impacts.
Becoming College-Ready: Early Findings From a CUNY Start Evaluation
This report describes the early findings of a random assignment evaluation and implementation study of CUNY Start by CCRC, MDRC, and the City University of New York.
Toward Better College Course Placement: A Guide to Launching a Multiple Measures Assessment System
Drawing on lessons from 10 Minnesota and Wisconsin colleges that piloted multiple measures systems for placing students into developmental and college-level courses, this guide provides recommendations for other colleges interested in implementing or testing their own multiple measures systems.
Developmental Education Reform Outcomes by Subpopulation
This chapter discusses the importance of scrutinizing the outcomes of developmental education reforms across race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and level of developmental need.
Addressing Academic Underpreparedness in Service of College Completion
In this article, the authors posit that a reframing of academic preparedness is warranted, and they outline three potential strategies for addressing academic underpreparedness beyond the structural and curricular reforms to developmental education taking place in many colleges.
Developmental Education: The Evolution of Research and Reform
This chapter in Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research reviews the structure and effectiveness of traditional developmental education and provides a history of first-, second-, and third-wave reforms and research on those approaches.
Developmental Education: An Introduction for Policymakers
This ECS/CAPR brief discusses the importance of and challenges surrounding developmental education and suggests ways in which policymakers can address these challenges.
How Effective Are Community College Remedial Math Courses for Students With the Lowest Math Skills?
This article examines a study on the effectiveness of remediation for community college students who are identified as having the lowest skills in math using transcript data from a state community college system.
College Placement Strategies: Evolving Considerations and Practices
This CAPR working paper provides an overview of the history of college placement testing, with a focus on nonselective colleges. The authors discuss the limitations of placement tests, the consequences of placement errors, and the movement toward changing systems of placement; a typology of approaches to assessment and placement is also described.
From “Additive” to “Integrative”: Experiences of Faculty Teaching Developmental Integrated Reading and Writing Courses
Using interview, focus group, and case study data, this paper documents the perceptions and experiences of faculty members in the midst of statewide reform efforts in Virginia and North Carolina to integrate developmental reading and writing courses.