College and Career Readiness

This 3-year project funded by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) seeks to evaluate the state's attempt to align high school and community college curriculum and reduce the need to remediation at the post-secondary level.
With the CCR Act, the state has created the right conditions to conduct a rigorous empirical evaluation of pre-college remedial programs and services. This 3-year mixed method study involves multiple community colleges (as specified in the CCR Act) and multiple high school partners with multiple student cohort groups. Results of a carefully planned evaluation will have implications on many levels, especially students, high schools, community colleges, and statewide policy.

College and Career Readiness Events

  • The Illinois P-20 Longitudinal Policy Research Summit
    Tue, Nov 17, 2009 10am - 3pm
    The Forum on the Future of Public Education will host a summit of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify critical research questions and provide recommendations for Illinois’ research agenda and data integration efforts.

College and Career Readiness Research Lead

  • Debra Bragg, Ph.D.
    Professor, Educational Organization and Leadership
    Director, Office of Community College Research and Leadership
    College of Education, University of Illinois
    Research Profile
    Debra D. Bragg became Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education in August 2009. Dr. Bragg is a Professor of Educational Organization and Leadership in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL). Her research focuses on P-20 policy issues, with a special interest in youth and adult transition to college, workforce development, and programs for underserved student populations. She has led national and state level research and evaluation studies examining the participation of diverse students in various college transition initiatives including studies of the impact of career pathways, tech prep and dual credit. Currently Professor Bragg serves as principal investigator for studies on implementation of Perkins IV Programs of Study, Applied Baccalaureate programs, Colorado’s out-of-school youth transition program (Colorado Success Unlimited), Illinois’ College and Career Readiness Act, and the Joyce Foundation’s Shifting Gears initiative. Past projects include site direction for the National Centers for Career and Technical Education and its predecessor the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. As director of OCCRL, she works extensively with state agency leaders at ISBE, ICCB, and IBHE and college leaders throughout the state and nation.