about

The mission of EPIC is to improve educational policy and practices in ways that lead to more productive education results for all students and particularly for students historically underserved by public schools. EPIC conducts a range of policy-related research studies in support of this goal. A key distinguishing feature of EPIC is its pioneering use of state-of-the-art criterion-based, standards-referenced course and document analysis techniques and methods. Currently, EPIC's focus is on creating a climate of change that supports dramatically improved college readiness for more U.S high school students.

An ever-increasing proportion of high school students in the United States today aspire to college. Yet statistics indicate that the percentage of college students receiving bachelor's degrees has remained relatively constant over the past twenty-five years. It now takes on average five years to get a four-year degree. Somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of students now require remedial education upon entry to college.

How can this be explained? The answer can be found in part in the distinction between being college-eligible and college ready. High schools in the U.S. educational system focus on making students college-eligible in order to meet admissions requirements. However, these students may or may not be college ready, which is defined as being able to meet the expectations they encounter in entry-level college courses.