NCPR Events
[See All Events]
Examining the Role of Summer Bridge Programs in Promoting
College Readiness and Completion: Lessons Learned from Texas’
Developmental Summer Bridges
A Forum Co-sponsored by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the
National Center for Postsecondary Research (NCPR).
Download: Forum BriefPresenters:
-
Luzelma Canales, Interim Associate Dean, Community Engagement & Workforce Development, South Texas College (McAllen, TX)
- Katherine L. Hughes, Assistant Director for Work and Education Reform Research, Community College Research Center (New York, NY)
- David Gardner, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Planning and Policy, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Austin, TX)
- Evan Weissman, Operations Associate, MDRC (Oakland, CA)
As colleges across the nation strive to reduce the number of students
requiring developmental education, summer bridge programs have emerged
as a promising intervention designed to provide graduating high school
seniors with the academic and college-going skills required to be
successful college students. The National Center for Postsecondary
Research (NCPR), in cooperation with the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board (THECB), is currently assessing the effectiveness of
the summer bridge model in improving college preparation and success for
students in need of remediation. This forum will describe efforts in
Texas to create and evaluate developmental summer bridge programs for
at-risk students. Panelists will discuss the program’s
development, review the evaluation results, and consider the
implications for policy.
About 40 percent of
traditional aged college students and nearly 60 percent of those who
attend community college take at least one developmental education
course.(1) In fact, students with greater academic deficiencies may be
referred to a sequence of three or more semester-length courses in a
single subject area, significantly delaying entry into credit-bearing
classes. Yet research suggests that fewer than one half of students who
are referred to developmental education complete their recommended
sequence of courses.(2)
Developmental summer bridge
programs aim to reduce or eliminate the need for developmental courses
so that more students are prepared for credit-bearing courses in their
first semester of college. Programs typically offer intensive targeted
coursework for four to six weeks over the summer, accompanied by
tutoring, additional labs, and student support services. The integrated
approach of developmental summer bridges is thought to help ease
students’ transition into
college.
Beginning in 2007, the Texas legislature
provided funding to the THECB to develop developmental summer bridge
programs for at-risk students who were recent high school graduates,
specifically with the goal of reducing the need for remediation among
this population. Soon thereafter, NCPR began a large-scale, rigorous
evaluation at eight of the developmental summer bridge sites, conducted
with support from the USDOE’s Institute for Education Sciences
and Houston Endowment.
The National Center for
Postsecondary Research (NCPR) focuses on measuring the effectiveness of
programs designed to help students make the transition to college and
master the basic skills needed to advance to a degree. NCPR is currently
pursuing research on dual enrollment; postsecondary remediation,
including summer bridge programs; and financial aid. Established through
a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S.
Department of Education, NCPR is housed at the Community College
Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, and operated in
collaboration with partners MDRC, the Curry School of Education at the
University of Virginia, and faculty at Harvard
University.
More Information:
http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2010/fb120310.htm
---
Notes:
1.
Attewell, P., Lavin, D., Domina, T., and Levey, T. (2006). New evidence
on college remediation. Journal of Higher Education, 77(5),
886–924.
2. Bailey, T., Jeong, D. W., & Cho,
S.-W. (2010). Referral, enrollment, and completion in developmental
education sequences in community colleges. Economics of Education
Review, 29(2), 255–270.
Type: Lectures & Talks
Location: Capitol Hill, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2261, Washington, DC
Date & Time: 12/3/2010, 12:00:00 PM - 1:00:00 PM
Website: http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/2010/fb120310.htm
