Gates delivered the closing speech at the 90th Annual American Association of Community Colleges Convention in Seattle, and called traditional remedial programs “an afterthought” on most campuses. These low-quality programs that are supposed to help students catch up academically are actually the biggest obstacles students must overcome in their pursuit of a college degree, she said. “Community colleges led the way on college access, now they must lead the way on college completion,” said Gates. “Research shows that improving remediation is the single most important thing community colleges can do to increase the number of students who graduate with a certificate or a degree.”

The former high school math teacher and Netflix Founder/CEO plans to use the company to teach math using computer games, simulations, and pedagogy more effectively. He believes that Netbooks and like technology will be so inexpensive that the hardware will be everywhere.

Recently the preferred standard for evaluation design by USDOE has been randomized experimental design. The commentator of this article argues that other forms of evaluation should be considered to ensure that best practices are not missed due to a narrow definition of what counts for evidence.