The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of remedial math courses at the community college level through an examination of short-term academic success variables. For the purposes of this study, short-term academic success was defined as passing required remedial math course(s) and the first college-level math course with a C or…

This study explores the perceptions held by faculty and administrators about the effectiveness and institutional characteristics of remedial mathematics programs at two community colleges. Each college approaches remedial education in a different manner but achieves similar outcomes. A qualitative approach was used to elicit a rich spectrum of…

Although the mathematical preparation of future teachers is of particular concern within the field of mathematics education right now, little research has taken into account the increasing role of community colleges in offering mathematics courses for elementary teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the curricular decisions of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational experiences and outcomes of low-skill adults in West Virginia's community and technical colleges, providing a more detailed profile of these students. Data for the variables were obtained from archival databases through a cooperative agreement between state agencies. Descriptive statistics…

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a 3-stage community college mathematics teacher and curriculum conceptual change program on student achievement. The study, which was a replication and extension of Lake (2008), was conducted during Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 terms and focused on teachers' instructional practices relative to…

Online mathematics courses at Somerset Community College (SCC) have traditionally had a lower retention rate than their in-person counterparts. This study looked at online and in-person students at SCC in the courses "Intermediate Algebra" and "College Algebra." Beginning of semester student demographics were considered to…

The purpose of this study was to address the gap in the current literature on community college students in basic math courses by examining motivational, parental and cultural factors as predictors of achievement and persistence of students enrolled in basic skills mathematics courses at a community college. More specifically, this study…

The majority of college students are not ready for college-level math courses, which, when completed, have been shown to increase graduation and transfer rates. To address this problem, the Math My Way (MMW) program was developed to integrate module-based curriculum and mastery learning approaches. The program is based on Seidman's retention…

Increasing rigor in secondary school classrooms for college and career readiness is a priority throughout the nation with the adoption of more challenging standards for student performance and is an important role for school leaders in creating conditions in schools to meet this challenge (Young, 2012). P-16 partnerships can assist by aligning the…

This qualitative study examines the experiences of Latinas/os in community college English and math developmental education courses. Critical race theory in education and the theory of validation serve as guiding frameworks. The authors find that institutional agents provide academic validation by emphasizing high expectations, focusing on social…

With a large global, national, state, and local drive for post-secondary credentials, higher education institutes are exploring new retention and graduation strategies to meet the needs of the employers and employees. Many students who are unprepared for college level work will enter a community college to take developmental courses. Developmental…

When faculty and learning assistance staff create teaching documents and web pages envisioning the widest range of users they can save time while achieving access for all. There are tools and techniques available to make mathematics visual, orally, and dynamically more accessible through multimodal presentation forms. Resources from Design…

This is a preliminary study of (community) college mathematics instructors. Through interviews of twelve instructors we explore each individual's educational background and path to the college, as well as his/her preparation for and feelings about teaching. The purpose of this study is to add to the emerging research on college mathematics…

The role of evaluation is to determine whether a project achieves what it sets out to do. Using a strategy often referred to as "backwards planning" or "backwards research design," the evaluation process operationalizes project goals and then, asking the question "What would success look like?" identifies measurable indices of success (Friedman,…

Two related themes currently dominate discourse on open-access colleges, particularly community colleges: increasing college-going and degree attainment and improving the performance of postsecondary institutions with respect to producing graduates. Largely missing from this discourse, however, is cogency concerning the innumerable ways in which…