To the Editor:
In reference to your recent coverage of remedial-education reform efforts, “As Reformers Take Aim at Remediation, Community Colleges Feel the Squeeze” (The Chronicle, September 21), there is an existing — and growing — body of empirical evidence that Carnegie Math Pathways students fare better than those who are offered only the traditional developmental-math sequence.
An evaluation study showed that Statway and Quantway students had a 48 percent success rate in a single year. This contrasts sharply with the 15 percent success rate of the traditional developmental-math sequence over two years. Other research suggests increases in students’ pursuit of subsequent math studies and higher levels of success in doing so. Academic standards for the pathways were vetted externally with relevant professional organizations, and end-of-year student assessments demonstrate rigor comparable to that found in other college courses.
Why do Quantway and Statway work? One important factor is how the pathways were developed. Teams of educational researchers and college faculty with diverse yet complementary expertise joined together in a networked improvement community (NIC). They approached the problem of low success rates from their students’ perspectives, and then rapidly tested and refined proposed interventions throughout the NIC. The result? An intervention that helps a variety of students succeed across multiple community college campuses.
Quantway and Statway also work because they address the systemic roots of the problem. The Carnegie Math Pathways sequence: (1) uses problem-based instruction to make the curriculum relevant to students’ everyday lives while retaining mathematical rigor; (2) are college-level courses that provide intensive support for students and dramatically reduce dropout rates; (3) creates a positive classroom community by combining a student cohort approach with pedagogy emphasizing collaborative learning; and finally, (4) cultivates in students a sense of belonging in class and a belief in their own capability to do math.
Over 12,000 students have successfully progressed through Carnegie Math Pathways, enabling the dreams and aspirations of over 12,000 individuals who are now further along the path to success in their education, their careers, and their lives.
Anthony S. Bryk
President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Karon Klipple
Executive Director, Carnegie Math Pathways