Developmental Education in North Carolina Community Colleges. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clotfelter, Charles T.; Ladd, Helen F.; Muschkin, Clara; Vigdor, Jacob L.
• Is Part Of: Educational evaluation and policy analysis. Volume 37:Number 3(2015:Sep.)
• Page Start: 354
• Page End: 375
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: community colleges -- developmental education -- remedial instruction -- college readiness -- student success -- college persistence; Education -- Evaluation -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; 370.7
• DOI: 10.3102/0162373714547267
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0162-3737

Abstract

This article contributes to the empirical literature on remediation in community colleges by using policy variation across North Carolina's community colleges to examine how remediation affects various outcomes for traditional-age college students. We find that being required to take a remedial course (as we define it in this article) either in math or in English significantly reduces a student's probability of success in college and also the probability that a student ever passes a college-level math or English course. Among students who are required to take a remedial course in their first semester, however, we find no adverse effects on the probability of returning for another semester. We also find differential effects by a student's prior achievement level, family income, and gender. Despite methodological differences, our main findings are generally consistent with, albeit somewhat more negative, than those from prior studies based on regression discontinuity designs.