Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Should Colleges Offer Remedial Education?

In 1994, nearly 70% of Cal State Northridge freshmen needed remedial education for math and English. Last week, college officials learned that placed the Northridge school among the highest in remedial education in the Cal State system.

Some educators blamed the numbers on the public school system. Others point out that colleges must accommodate higher numbers of urban, minority students from low-income families that lack a tradition of education. Earlier this year, California State trustees voted to cut the numbers of students who need remedial help to 10% by 2007.

Should colleges be expected to offer remedial education?

Blenda J. Wilson, president, Cal State Northridge:

“The U.S. is unique in the world in enabling its people to change the circumstance of their birth. Farmers, GIs, minorities and women have joined the privileged and elite by obtaining a college education. Like today’s urban youngsters, many of them were not fully prepared when they entered college. With their persistence and excellent instruction, however, they acquired knowledge and skills which have contributed greatly to our national wealth and well-being. Remedial courses . . . prepare students for higher levels of learning. We cannot afford to lose the potential of the next generation by retreating to an outmoded view of who is worthy to attend our public universities.”

David Tokofsky, Los Angeles Unified School District board of education member:

“In the schools, we don’t have the standard anymore. . . . We need to make sure that a 3.4 GPA means they really did completely understand trigonometry because they got a B in school . . . I think we need to set high expectations. . . . Kids will rise to the level we expect of them.”

Thomas MacNeil, Cal State Northridge senior, Golden Key National Honors Society and Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honor society:

“I think [remedial education] definitely should have been taken care of in high school. We need to have those remedial classes only in those rare cases.”

Ron Berz, principal of Taft High School in Woodland Hills:

“Actually, starting from elementary to middle school and high school, we should be doing everything we can to prepare students for college. . . . [But] if you have a student at the college level that needs remedial help then yes, the college should provide the remedial education.”

Sheryl Thompson, coordinator of the Learning Resource Center and a teacher of developmental English:

“The students are capable but haven’t been able to have the same kinds of opportunities that they could have to reach that point. It’s amazing to see how well they can perform. . . . It’s 10 times harder for them for a lot of reasons. A lot of them have to work full-time or part-time jobs. . . . Sometimes they’re helping to support their families. . . . These students are intelligent, hard working and fully deserving of the college education they are striving to attain.”

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