Postsecondary Success

• Decrease traditional remedial course placement by 80%
• Increase student progression by 75%

Only 44% of the region’s 2017 high school graduates earned 24 college credits within 16 months of enrollment. Only 38% of 2012 high school graduates – and only 18% of Black graduates – earned a degree within six years. Students who start college, but do not finish are at risk of amassing debt without the credentials to mitigate the financial impact.

Restructuring remediation models supports an equity agenda. Black and Latinx community college students are more likely to end up in remedial courses than their white peers. Few students who end up in remedial education ever enroll in, let alone complete, gateway courses in mathematics and English, and only a fraction go on to graduate. Further research reveals that many students placed in remedial coursework – nearly 50% – could pass a college-level course if given the chance.

Over the next decade, Detroit Drives Degrees will continue to lead and convene partners to implement the postsecondary success strategies outlined in the Compact’s strategic plan. We appreciate the leadership of the organizations below who have pledged to support this work.