400-500 words

A debate is occurring across the United States about what community colleges and universities in this nation have experienced regarding student preparation for college.

Some believe that at least part of the problem rests in the preparation of students in K–12 education. Others feel that the community college open-door policy will always attract students looking to improve their opportunities to transfer to a university, find better employment, take care of their families, and improve society by making a positive contribution.

There is a long-standing debate on the best term to use when discussing students who are not college-ready because of their assessment scores or lack of preparedness for college-level work.

What term is used at your institution to describe these students and why? Are they remedial, developmental, adult basic education, et cetera? Whichever term is utilized, refer to the students as such in your post and responses.

For this question, address the following:

• Discuss the positives and negatives of developmental education, including information as presented from your studies.
• What place do you feel remedial education has in community colleges?
• Do you think that colleges spend too much or too little of their fiscal resources on this important mission?