Research has indicated that college and university developmental math programs, as they currently are, produce poor results with low student success rates. To address this, state legislators are intervening, creating policies that range from support for reform to mandated approaches. In this post, let’s look at a few states executing developmental education practices through laws or mandates.

Higher education is typically in a state of reform. With the pandemic, that has only accelerated. When initiatives for change are enacted, having stakeholders at the forefront is critical to the amount of the time needed for the initiative and its success. Which stakeholders have the most influence on success or failure of higher ed initiatives? Faculty.

It’s no secret that higher education has an equity gap problem. But this isn’t a new issue or one caused by COVID-19. This has been an ongoing concern for far too long. Let’s take a look at what educational equity is, how it’s affecting our education system, and how implementing effective developmental math redesigns can aid in eliminating equity gaps.

Redesign always takes longer and is more involved than we first expect it to be. With many unforeseen components, those simple suggestions to “improve a course” or “enhance a placement policy” don’t stop there. Instead, they’re simply starting points. In this post, I give you practical information on the role of buy-ins, funding, and other impacted areas that will help you navigate your own redesign.

Developmental math in its traditional form poorly serves students who need it the most. These are the students who have the greatest challenges to overcome, often through circumstances beyond their control. For as much as has been done in this arena, there are still so many issues with developmental math. And those problems are only worse when we drill down in the data and disaggregate it.

While some colleges may not be using test scores, these scores do have their uses for K-12 schools. Because of that, the SAT and other standardized tests will not go away because they do have their uses. Here's a look at why the SAT stands the test of time.

High school students around the country are gearing up to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). For college-bound students, it is a right of passage, a way to compare with others, and one more way to get into the college of choice. But the SAT has come under fire lately with many colleges around the country adopting a “test optional” or a “‘test blind” policy for admissions.

There are implicit biases that individuals may not be aware of having that can then lead to behaviors that harm others. With awareness of implicit bias that can affect students comes the desire to make schools a place of equality for all.

Like many educators, I read the 2020 Annual Gates letter with great anticipation. Their work in education over the last 20 years has made a strong impact on U.S. education, which is now admittedly their biggest challenge. I want to speak on behalf of my peers, teachers, who are capable of making the changes needed in policy and reform, but seldom get the chance to do so.