PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 24 2006
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION
ISSUES REPORT ON THE STATE OF DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION AND LEARNING ASSISTANCE IN
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.
Current and former leaders
of the field of developmental education and learning assistance have issued a
strategic review of the field and provided recommendations for its improvement.
The review indicated that learning support services such as developmental
courses, learning centers, and tutoring contribute to student retention and
graduation at all types of postsecondary institutions. In spite of this,
legislators, higher education decision makers, and faculty members sometimes view
these programs with ambivalence. This report also describes the strengths,
challenges, and opportunities in developmental education and learning
assistance and recommends a variety of actions that professional associations
in the field might take during what the Blue Ribbon Commission considers to be
a crucial time for the field.
The report is available from
the Blue Ribbon Commission website, http://blueribboncommission.org/
The web site also provides a link to a web-based
discussion forum for public comment and conversation of the report and the
issues it raises.
Current and past national leaders
representing the major professional organizations involved with developmental
education and learning assistance created the report. These leaders were
appointed to a task force called the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) by the American
Council of Developmental Education Associations (ACDEA). The ACDEA is an organization
through which professional associations in the field collaborate. The ACDEA created
the BRC to recommend ways that member organizations can work together to
improve the profession and service to students. This report is meant to serve
as a catalyst for conversation, reflection, and planning among professionals in
the field.
For additional information,
contact David Arendale, Chair of the BRC [612-625-2928], Dr. Hunter Boylan,
Chair of the ACDEA [828- 262-6100], or any of the other BRC members. Contact
information for these individuals is available through the BRC website, http://blueribboncommission.org/