Getting Down to Basics in Western Civilization: It's about Time

Abstract

According to Tinto (1993), more students leave college than graduate, especially at the community college level. Much of the blame for this attrition has been attributed to a lack of adequate preparation for college-level courses. Consequently, many colleges must provide remedial programs despite the objections of opponents of remediation who believe these programs fail to prepare students sufficiently. The authors of this article, however, demonstrate that a learning community that links English-as-a-second-language remedial-reading and remedial-writing courses to a rigorous 3-credit history course can integrate learners into college and improve academic performance.