Astrid arrived at her community college to pursue a nursing degree with a high school diploma, a part-time job, and a plan. She was told she needed two semesters of noncredit remedial math and English courses before taking classes that counted toward her credential.
She never made it to the anatomy course.
Astrid is not a real person, but her story is. She represents the unspoken student story of American higher education’s developmental—or remedial—education system.
Strong Start to Finish reports that 40% of two-year college students and 25% of four-year students take at least one remedial course, an estimated 3.4 million students.
The result is predictable.
