Y'all Have Been Busy!

We want to make sure you know about three new publications that have come out in the last few weeks, all courtesy of our DEI state policy partner, Jobs for the Future (and some of their esteemed colleagues):

• In Ahead of the Curve: State Success in the Developmental Education Initiative, David Altstadt presents the major reforms that the six DEI states enacted over the course of the three-year initiative. The report follows the DEI State Policy Framework, with examples of policy change on all three fronts: data-driven improvement, commitment to innovation, and policy supports. Each of the six states is featured in a case study; Altstadt also includes an analysis of the states’ progress as measured by the DEI State Policy Framework Self-Assessment Tool. You can read about new data systems, new curriculum, and new assessment practices, all deployed across states, that are paving the way for college innovation and improved outcomes for students who are underprepared for postsecondary study.

 

• In Cornerstones of Completion: State Policy Support for Accelerated, Structured Pathways to College Credentials and Transfer, Lara K. Couturier recommends ten state policies that can support colleges who are creating “accelerated, structured pathways to completion” (just like the title says!). Using the colleges participating in Completion by Design as a backdrop, the report begins by contrasting the current experience of a typical community college student with what that student might experience in a more structured pathway program. Couturier then lays out the ten policy recommendations—from transfer agreements, to use of labor market information, to faculty professional development—and backs each one up with a summary of recent research. 

 

• Just yesterday, Jobs for the Future, along with the Charles A. Dana Center, Complete College America, Education Commission of the States, released Core Principles for Transforming Remedial Education: A Joint Statement. The statement lays out seven principles for a new approach to ensure “that all students are ready for and can successfully complete college-level work that leads to a postsecondary credential of value.” Many of the principles will be familiar to those that have been following DEI states and colleges and other national reform efforts, among them more accurate assessment and course options that accelerate students’ progression through remediation to gateway courses. The challenge will be to provide the institutional and state support for faculty, staff, and administration as they find the mix of policy and practice that works best for their students. Also imperative is ensuring that new methods of assessment and instruction don’t leave students with the most significant barriers to education and training without a way to access postsecondary training. You can read more commentary on the statement in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education.