Developmental Education: What Policies and Practices Work for Students? Weak academic preparation impedes achievement in higher education for millions of young people. Colleges address this problem by providing developmental education programs designed to strengthen students’ skills so they can successfully complete college-level courses. Too often these programs are not very effective in helping students overcome weaknesses. At the same time, increasing numbers of colleges and states are experimenting with innovations to help more underprepared students succeed. NCPR’s national conference on developmental education, on September 23rd and 24th, 2010, presented the latest high-quality research on developmental education, providing a solid basis for future practice, policy, and continued study.