Remedial Education: An Area in Need of Scholar-Practitioner Collaboration

Much has been written about the disappointing record of remedial education. At least 40% percent of students never complete their remedial courses, hindering their access to college-level courses. Amid the clamor for reform, new programs are emerging in which scholars and practitioners collaborate on the development of models of instruction that hold promise for improving the college readiness of underprepared students. Scholar-practitioner collaboration requires a reconception of the research process and the meaning of practice. It also requires practitioners to reflect on their practice as partners in the research process. We conclude that the voices of those teaching and managing remedial education, not just those of researchers, are necessary to arrive at remedial education policies and practices that are effective and sustainable.