Examining a Rupture in the Latina/o College Pipeline: Developmental Education in California Community Colleges. PERSPECTIVAS: Issues in Higher Education Policy and Practice. Issue No. 3, Spring 2014

This policy brief highlights the trajectories of Latina/o students who test into developmental coursework at California community colleges and brings attention to the obstacles created by these courses. The authors use quantitative data from the Basic Skills Progress Cohort Tracking Tool (Progress Tracker) from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. Placement, course attempts, and course success numbers for Latinas/os are examined. Based on the findings, the authors offer suggestions for improving Latinas/os' developmental education completion rates. The brief is divided into the following sections: (1) Status of Latinas/os in the K-16 Educational Pipeline; (2) Status of Latinas/os in Community Colleges; (3) Status of Developmental Education in Community Colleges Nationwide; (4) Limitations of Developmental Education: Obstacles Created by Assessment Procedures and Coursework; (5) Student Trajectories: Status of Latinas/os in Developmental Course Sequences; (6) Promising Practices; (7) Ongoing State-Level Developmental Education Policies; and (8) Recommendations for Future Practice, Policy, and Research. [For Issue No. 2, see ED571016. Note: Reference count reflects the number of selected citations provided on the attached policy brief. A complete list of references may be accessed online at: http://education.utsa.edu/crpe/perspectivas.]