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Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Doctoral Program in Postsecondary Student Success in Learning, Literacy, and Mathematics

What is Developmental Education?

Developmental Education is a field of research, policy, and practice focused on student success at the postsecondary level. Attuned especially to college students who struggle, due to a variety of factors, in their first year (and beyond), the field seeks to support students as they transition to college, and define the role of higher education as a place where all learners can succeed. Traditional areas of the field have included course-based supports, such as developmental reading, basic writing, developmental math, study strategies, and learning frameworks courses as well as non-course-based aspects of learning assistance like tutoring, supplemental instruction, and mentoring. As a field, Developmental Education has a multi-dimensional focus and is concerned with the student issues of cognition, affect, identity, and other aspects of the college context. In short, Developmental Education is about student success for college students, especially those underprepared for the postsecondary educational context.

Below is a list of a few key professional organizations related to the fields in and around Developmental Education:

National Organization for Student Success (NOSS)

College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)

National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA)

Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance (ACTLA)

Association for the Coaching and Tutoring Profession (ATP)

Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA)

National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE) 

Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC)

Also, below are a few other professional organizations related to educational research that have connections to postsecondary teaching and learning that may be of interest: