Pathways to STEM Success
This project evaluates Virginia Community College System direct-enrollment reform through studies of implementation, causal impacts, and instructional practices in college-level and corequisite math.
Research question
How does direct placement into college-level math with corequisite support affect access, course completion, degree progress, labor-market outcomes, and equity?
Why it matters
Traditional developmental sequences can delay or prevent students from reaching gateway math. Statewide evidence can show whether direct enrollment and corequisite support expand access while maintaining successful outcomes for students with different levels of preparation.
About the project
The implementation study documents how colleges adopt the reform and the challenges they encounter. The impact study uses quasi-experimental methods to estimate effects on math completion, degree attainment, and labor-market outcomes. The instruction study examines course design and teaching practices in corequisite math.