OHE chief: Remediation should come earlier than college

During State Office of Higher Education Director Larry Pogemiller’s introductory address to the House higher-education committee, Vice Chairman Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) brought up the need to deal with remediation.

He recalled cases in which non-native English speakers would arrive in Minnesota with few English skills and start as freshmen in high school. After graduation, they’d go to a two-year college and then find they couldn’t do the work.

“These students are struggling,” he said. “Is it fair for our system to take on this instruction — or (should) K-12? It’s a real concern among two-year schools.”

Pogemiller recalled someone at Normandale Community College — located in the wealthy Bloomington-Edina area — telling him that 70 percent of Normandale’s students take come kind of remedial course.

He told Dettmer:

“I think we’re going to see remedial education pushed earlier in pipeline. (Otherwise) it’s going to be a productivity issue.”

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.