The politics of access: remediation policy at the California State University

This study critically examines the historical discourse surrounding postsecondary remediation policy in the United States. As opposed to considering remediation as an objective ahistorical remedy for students who lack basic English and math skills, this study highlights remediation as a political phenomenon situated in a historical, political, social, and economic context. It analyzes six decades of remediation policy at the California State University (CSU), an institutional system driven by its mission to offer democratic access to a four-year education. This study considers how institutional decision-making at the CSU has impacted access, student success, and degree outcomes for underrepresented minority students. An examination of neo-liberal and neoconservative ideologies is utilized to argue that student success is not simply a measurement of individuals, but rather is contingent upon the structure of institutions. The study concludes with final thoughts and recommendations that consider the CSU's upcoming plans to radically reform remediation at its campuses.