The Effects of Developmental Education and ESL (English as a Second Language) on Language-Minority Community College Students

• In Event: Experiences of Language Minority Students in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

This study uses a multiple rating-score regression discontinuity design to analyze the effects of the English remediation treatments--developmental writing, English as a second language (ESL), and developmental reading—on the educational outcomes of language minority students at the City University of New York (CUNY) community colleges. In addition, because it is not always clear whether ESL or developmental writing is the most appropriate intervention for language minority students who are not prepared for freshman-level English composition, I conduct a second analysis using an instrumental variable approach to identify the effects of ESL compared to developmental writing for similar language minority students assigned to remediation.

Author

• Michelle Hodara, Teachers College, Columbia University