Reforms to developmental English, developmental reading, and English as a second language (ESL) are increasingly widespread but have garnered less attention from policymakers and researchers than reforms to developmental math. PL3 will provide practitioners and policymakers with actionable findings that can be used to plan, implement, and refine developmental English, developmental reading, and ESL reforms and to improve postsecondary literacy outcomes.

PL3 began with systematic reviews of practice, policy, and research to provide the field with a current and comprehensive picture of the reform landscapes in developmental English and reading and in ESL. A series of quantitative analyses will measure student outcomes, identify predictors of academic momentum and success, and quantify differential outcomes for student subgroups based on institutional and student characteristics. In partnership with the Public Policy Institute of California, the PL3 research team will also produce case studies on select community colleges in California engaged in ESL reform and document the reform rationale and model, implementation experiences, and student outcomes.

This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.