Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Math: Impact Studies at Queensborough and Houston Community Colleges, Weissman, Evan; Butcher, Kristen; Schneider, Emily; Teres, Jededish; Collado, Herbert; Greenberg, David. February, 2011. National Center for Postsecondary Research Paper

Community colleges now serve over one-third of our nation’s postsecondary students each year. Because they have open admissions and are relatively low cost, they enroll larger percentages of low-income students than four-year institutions. Unfortunately, as enrollment in these colleges has increased, students’ success rates have not kept pace. One of the major barriers for academically underprepared students is the need to pass developmental (or remedial) math classes. These classes do not offer college credit, and rates of completing and passing them are low. Learning communities are a popular strategy for moving students through the developmental math sequence. They enroll a cohort of students in two classes and often incorporate shared assignments and curricula, collaboration between faculty teaching pairs, and connections to student support services.