Ruppert, S. S. (2003). Closing the college participation gap. Washington, D.C.: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http//www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/47/84/4784.pdf
This national report examines the college participation rates of each state. The policy implications of this report is that a higher percentage of Americans could benefit from college education and the requirements required of the publicly-funded institutions and the states.
The report states that the challenge is not only to accommodate a greater number of students, but also to increase the proportion of the population that goes to college and successfully completes its learning goals. The consequences for academic access programs would dramatically increase with a corresponding increase in the entering student body which would naturally represent a wide range of academic preparation levels. Developmental education is one of the interventions recommended by a companion report, Narrowing the gaps in educational attainment within states A policymaker's guide to assessing and responding to needs for community college services available from http//www.communitycollegepolicy.org/html/Issues/Access/pdf/ NCHEMSReport.pdf