The National Study of Developmental Education was funded by the Exxon Education Foundation. The project was designed to assess the efficacy of various courses and services provided in support of underprepared students enrolled in American colleges and universities. The initial study ran from 1989 through 1997 and examined various developmental program activities and outcomes from a randomly selected sample of 150 institutions and 6,000 students. The major goals were to identify the state of the art in developmental education, identify effective teaching and learning strategies, identify effective models for the delivery of developmental and learning assistance services, and identify future research issues for the field. Findings have been presented at a variety of professional conferences and have appeared in Research In Developmental Education and the Journal of Developmental Education.

Developmental Education: Readings on Its Past, Present, and Future offers twenty-two selections on historical efforts to serve underprepared students, on the state of developmental education today, and on innovative practices and possible directions for the future. Compiled by Hunter R. Boylan, Director of the National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE) and a professor of Higher Education at Appalachian State University, and Barbara S. Bonham, a professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies at Appalachian State University, each chapter also includes introductions and questions for discussion and reflection.

With calls for community colleges to play a greater role in increasing college completion, promising or high-impact practices (HIPs) are receiving attention as means to foster persistence, degree completion, and other desired academic outcomes. These include learning communities, orientation, first-year seminars, and supplemental instruction, among many others. This volume explores the latest research on: how student success program research is conceptualized and operationalized, evidence for ways in which interventions foster positive student outcomes, critical inquiry of how students themselves experience them, and challenges and guidance regarding program design, implementation and evaluation. This is the 175th volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

The 16 chapters of this volume describe a wide variety of developmental programs intended to promote skill development and enhance academic performance for high-risk students at all levels of higher education. Following an introductory chapter by the editors, the chapters are: (1) "The Origin, Scope, and Outcomes of Developmental Education in the 20th Century" (Hunter R. Boylan and D. Patrick Saxon); (2) "Who Belongs in College: A Second Look" (Carlette J. Hardin); (3) "Transitions in Developmental Education: Interviews with Hunter Boylan and David Arendale" (Cheryl B. Stratton); (4) "Remedial/Developmental Education: Past, Present, and Future" (Milton G. Spann, Jr. and Suella McCrimmon); (5) "Provisionally Admitted College Students: Do They Belong in a Research University?" (Don T. Garnett and M.V. Hood III); (6) "Transitions in Developmental Education at the University of Georgia" (Jeanne L. Higbee and Patricia L. Dwinell); (7) "Developmental Education at a Public Research University" (Catherine Wambach and Robert delMas); (8) "A Charge to Developmental Educators: Ignite the Spark" (Rita Klein et al.); (9) "The Impact of a Course in Strategic Learning on the Long-Term Retention of College Students" (Claire E. Weinstein et al.); (10) "Integrating Critical Thinking into the Developmental Curriculum" (Linda Best); (11) "Metacognition: Facilitating Academic Success" (Cynthia M. Craig); (12) "Student Beliefs, Learning Theories, and Developmental Mathematics: New Challenges in Preparing Successful College Students" (Irene Mary Duranczyk and Joanne Caniglia); (13)"Mainstreaming Basic Writers: Chronicling the Debate" (Mary P. Deming); (14) "A Commentary on the Current State of Developmental Reading Programs" (Martha Maxwell); (15) "Establishing Personal Management Training in Developmental Education and First-Year Curricula" (Robert Nelson); and (16) "Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness of Learning for Freshman College Students through Supplemental Instruction" (David Arendale). A concluding chapter is by the editors. (Individual chapters contain references.) (DB)