In the Know

A New Take On Remediation

College remediation has generated a political furor in a number of areas recently, most notably last spring in New York City, where the trustees of the City University of New York, under pressure from Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, voted to phase out most remedial programs from the system's four-year colleges.

But a new report challenges the widely held notion that remedial education is inappropriate for colleges, too expensive, and a rehash of what students should have learned in high school.

The report, College Remediation: What It Is, What It Costs, What's At Stake, from the Institute for Higher Education Policy and the Ford Foundation, finds that remediation accounts for only about 2 percent of higher education spending.

Nor is there any evidence that remediation is expanding in size and scope. About 29 percent of college freshman sought remedial help in math, reading, or writing in 1995, according to the report. About the same percentage enrolled in such courses in 1989.

It isn't just poorly prepared high school graduates who are taking these courses, the report points out. Forty-six percent of freshman taking remedial courses are returning students over the age of 22.

Far from a new phenomenon, remediation has been a core function of higher education for several centuries, says the report. Harvard provided tutors for its students in the 17th Century, and colleges provided remediation for returning veterans going to college under the GI Bill.

Public policy efforts should lighten up on the rhetoric, the report argues, and focus instead on determining what works in remedial education, for whom, and at what cost.

Remediation is a good investment for society, say the authors, noting that the new job market requires more education and that the alternatives are low-wage jobs, unemployment, welfare, or, even, incarceration.

In those areas where remediation can be improved, the report offers strategies for coordinating efforts between colleges and high schools.

Some suggestions: align high school requirements with college competency requirements and start early intervention K-12 programs that link guaranteed financial aid for college with mentoring, tutoring, and academic guidance.

For more info, visit: www.ihep.com.