The American Association of Community Colleges commissioned this study of remedial education in community colleges as a framework for describing context, generating discussion, and encouraging action. Always controversial, remedial education is a multifaceted issue that we have worked with and researched for more than 30 years. The public's and the academy's interest in this aspect of the community college curriculum--what some have called the fulcrum that balances colleges's commitment to excellence with student access and success--has waxed and waned during these years. During the last five years, however, there has been a heightened interest in remedial education--what it is, who provides it, how much it costs, how it is evaluated, and where it belongs.--From Preface p. vii.