Unclear National Trends Concerning Developmental Education

Boylan, H. R., Saxon, D. P., & Boylan, H. M. (2002). State policies on remediation at public colleges and universities. Unpublished manuscript, National Center for Developmental Education, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http://www.ced.appstate.edu/centers/ncde/reserve%20reading/state%20 Policies.htm This is probably the most comprehensive and accurate national survey of current policies regarding access education and developmental education. It illustrates how mixed the state policies are across the U.S. regarding opportunities for students.
The authors conduced a survey of higher education officials of all 50 states. States where developmental courses are restricted at state two and four-year institutions: California, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. States where developmental courses are restricted to only two-year institutions: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Montana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Other survey results include regulations concerning mandatory testing and placement, impact upon financial aid, type of academic credit awarded, and state efforts to reduce the need for developmental education coursework by changes with high school curriculum.

Impact of Mission Differentiation upon Access Programs

Bastedo, M. N., & Gumport, P. J. (2003). Access to what? Mission differentiation and academic stratification in U.S. public higher education. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 46(3), 341-359. This is one of the most important articles written about access policy in the past several years. Rather than focusing on battles occurring at individual colleges regarding access policies and programs, it describes a national trend that is impacting similar programs across the U.S. People working at colleges that are undergoing significant "mission differentiation" and "strategic reogranization" should pay particular attention to this article.
This article analyzes developmental education policy in Massachusetts and New York to examine recent policy decisions regarding the termination of academic programs, elimination of remedial education, promotion of honors colleges within each state system. A result of these policy decisions has been to increase stratification of programs and students within a public state higher education system as well as with individual institutions within the state system. The authors argue that more intense analysis needs to be conducted before systematic changes are made within education systems to avoid or at least forecast major changes in the stratification of student opportunity to attend postsecondary education.

Opportunity in Decline for Decades Regarding Access

Barton, P. E. (2002). The closing of the education frontier? Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved June 1, 2006, from http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICFRONTIER.pdf Many publications today describe the current or near future decline of opportunity for access to postsecondary education. Barton, on the other hand, argues that the decline has occurred for decades.
The author makes an implicit analogy with a theory that early America was defined by the opportunity presented by Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis of the 'opening of the American west'. The Turner thesis was, "Up to our own day American history has been in a large degree the history of the colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development". Accordingly, America changed when the West was closed and opportunity ended in 1893. Using this concept as a counterpoint, Barton questions whether the frontier of educational opportunity has already closed, and thereby changing American culture. He argues that there is empirical evidence that postsecondary educational opportunity has closed, and therefore changing the nature of American society. Barton's data challenges the conventional wisdom that educational attainment has continued to increase during the last quarter century. He paints a picture of an educational system that is not producing more high school graduates, that continues to display great social inequality, and that is not able to support greater proportions of students through to degree in four-year college programs.

Access policies from national survey of FYE programs

Barefoot, B. O. (2003). Findings from the Second National Survey of First-Year Academic Practices, 2002. Brevard, NC: Policy Center for the First Year of College. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http://www.brevard.edu/fyc/survey2002/findings.htm
These findings are based on a survey results received from 1,000 colleges concerning first-year programs for students. Several of the questions were related to developmental education. While developmental education courses are offered at nearly all two-year institutions, the percentage drops dramatically with public four-year institutions: 80%, baccalaureate general colleges; 40%, baccalaureate liberal arts colleges; 70%, master's I & II; 70%, research intensive; 60%, research extensive. In the past five years the percentage of students taking developmental courses has increased most at public two-year institutions. In general, enrollment has remained even at four-year institutions though there are differences by type. About a third of baccalaureate-general colleges reported increases while an equal percentage reported decreases at research extensive institutions.

Comprehensive theory of developmental education

Wambach, C., Brothen, T., & Dikel, T. N. (2000). Toward a developmental theory for developmental educators. Journal of Developmental Education, 24(1), 2-4, 6, 8, 10, 29.
The authors propose a comprehensive theory of developmental education which is based on developmental psychology. There are three basic concepts in the theory: demandingness, responsiveness, and self-regulation. Rather than operating with a "deficit model," this theory is rooted in developmental psychology which focuses on building the strengths of all students. A number of recommendations are provided for practical implementation of this theory in the classroom.

Stigma impact on students involved with developmental education

Pedelty, M. (2001). Stigma. In J. L. Higbee, D. B. Lundell, & I. M. Duranczyk (Eds.), 2001: A developmental odyssey. Warrensburg, MO: National Association for Developmental Education.
Thirty-eight students conducted ethnographic research among their peers at a developmental program within a large public university. The students found that many of their peers feel stigmatized. The author argues that stigmatization is an inevitable outcome of academic ranking and a result of the ideological narratives driving U.S. education. He proposes a "justice model" to deal with issues of academic stigma among students and faculty in developmental education programs.

Monograph on theories for developmental education

Lundell, D. B., & Higbee, J. L. Eds (2001). Theoretical perspectives for developmental education. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Research on Developmental Education, General College, University of Minnesota. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http://www.gen.umn.edu/ research/crdeul/publications.htm
This monograph provides nearly 20 articles in four sections: new and revised theories for developmental education; culture and constructivism; literacy and composition; and theories for math and science.