<p>I think that remedial classes should be part of the mission of community colleges. Not everyone taking remedial classes “snoozed their way through high school.”</p>
<p>My mom, for example, went to a very underfunded high school in, if you’ll excuse the term, a ghetto. Many students (although not my mother) carried knives and the rest were beaten up if they didn’t have “protection money.” Her dad was a cab driver (who was forced to drop out of school before high school to take over the failing family business) and her mom a homemaker, so they really had no idea of what classes she needed to take. The school didn’t offer calculus or geometry, just basic math. The teachers, as you might imagine, were not top-quality. My mom ended up graduating in 3 years and heading off to community college to basically relearn everything. She ended up going to a great university, getting a bachelors, masters, as well as a PhD, and is now a very successful university professor and scientist.</p>
<p>She didn’t snooze or fool around; she was a truly disadvantaged student. We have to remember that a lot of students out there lack the resources to be successful in high school and that remedial classes offer a great opportunity for those students to find a path to success.</p>