Community College Stdents Do Not Take Remedial Courses They Need

Although over 60% of community college students who enter from high school need remediation, large numbers shun these courses, and end up dropping out.  Data from Columbia Teachers College Center for Community College Research show 36% in math and 27% in English took other courses ,but never enrolled in a remedial course after placement. We need to know more about why this happens, but students cannot complete their programs without passing a developmental sequence.

I visited a Ca community college last week where students complained they could not take a vocational course they wanted until they passed out of remediation. But if colleges let students take what they want, students may never enroll in developmental education. Perhps you have some ideas on how to solve this dilema.