History and Background of Learning Support Centers:

1640 Publication of a how-to-study manual, Guidance for a Student at St. John’s College, Cambridge
Fletcher, H. F. (1961). The intellectual development of John Milton (Vol. II: The Cambridge University Period, 1625-32). University of Illinois Press. (See pp. 624, 634-641, 650-655.)

1694 The College of William and Mary begins operation with three schools including a preparatory department called the Grammar School.

1700s Preparation for rigorous admission test into Eton or Oxford in England sometimes accomplished by attending “dame schools,” small tutorial centers and boarding schools run by educated women of high social standing and education. Some aristocratic families in colonial Virginia sent their children to such schools in England.
Gordon, E. E., & Gordon, E. H. (1990). Centuries of tutoring: A history of alternative education in America and Western Europe. University Press of America.

1700s Precollegiate academic assistance for most students at Harvard and Yale provided by private tutors who prepared them for college entrance examinations of Greek and Latin. In the mid-1700s, Yale added proficiency in arithmetic to already-stringent requirements; other postsecondary institutions soon followed. Students who had not attended Latin grammar schools had few options for entering college. One option for gaining admittance to Yale was to board with a minister for private tutoring until sufficiently readied for the college entrance exam.|
Cowie, A. (1936). Educational problems at Yale College in the eighteenth century. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press.

1700s Most Harvard students, lacking required proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing Latin, continue with remedial tutoring after admission.

Late 1700s Differentiation among U.S. institutions by academic preparation levels of incoming college students and institutional mission statements. Amherst and Williams admitted students unable to attend Harvard and Yale for academic or financial reasons.
Casazza, M. E., & Silverman, S. L. (1996). Learning assistance and developmental education: A guide for effective practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Late 1700s Students stereotyped for perceived academic inabilities, ethnicity, and class, reflecting social norms and prejudices shared by many, including key college policy makers.

1795 The University of North Carolina implemented a preparatory department that served underprepared students until 1819.
Snider, W. D., (1992). Light on the hill: A history of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina Press.

1800s Due to poor or nonexistent secondary education and inadequate primary education in some cases, many college aspirants could barely read and write.
Craig, C. M. (1997). Developmental education: A historical perspective. Paper presented at the National Association for Developmental Education Conference, Atlanta, GA.

1800s Number of those who tutored and those who received tutorial assistance nearly identical to the number of teaching faculty and their enrolled students
Brier, E. (1984). Bridging the academic preparation gap: An historical view. Journal of Developmental Education, 8(1), 2-5.

1803 Trustees of the University of Georgia resolved to implement a "Grammar School for the purpose of qualifying youths for admission into the University." The Grammar School was under the direction of the President of the university. The Grammar School focused on teaching Latin, and the school lasted into the 1830s.

1830 New York University in New York City creates prototype of an academic preparatory academy, providing instruction in math, science, philosophy, and English literature
Dempsey, B. J. L. (1985). An update on the organization and administration of learning assistance programs in U.S. senior institutions of higher education. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED257334)

1835 How-to-study manual published in US by Rev. John Todd
Todd, J. (1835). The student’s manual: Designed, by specific directions, to aid in forming and strengthening the intellectual and moral character and habits of the student. Northampton, MA: J. H. Butler. Second edition retrievable at http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008691907

1841 College preparatory department established at University of Missouri

1849 University of Wisconsin’s college prep and tutoring courses created (later disbanded in 1880 due to internal politics)
Shedd, C. (1932). Higher education in the United States. In W. M. Kotschnig & E. Prys (Eds.), The university in a changing world: A symposium (pp. 125-162). London, UK: Oxford University Press.
Brubacher, J. S., & Rudy, W. (1976). Higher education in transition: A history of American colleges and universities, 1636-1976 (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row

1852 University involvement in delivering high school curriculum decried by President of University of Michigan
Enright, G., & Kerstiens, G. (1980). The learning center: Toward an expanded role. In O. T. Lenning & R. I. Nayman (Eds.), New directions for college learning assistance: No. 2. New roles for learning assistance (pp. 1-24). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1862 First Morrill Act establishes land-grant colleges and represents the first significant financial involvement of the federal government with postsecondary education. New land-grant colleges fostered new degree programs in applied education such as agriculture and the mechanical arts, curricula unavailable at established private, denominational institutions. This increased access for students of modest academic preparation and financial resources.

1862 Faculty senate of South Carolina College votes to admit young students to replace revenue lost when older students joined the Confederate Army.
Rudy, W. (1996). The campus and a nation in crisis: From the American revolution to Vietnam. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press.

1863 University of Georgia creates University High School and suspends rules against admission to the University of boys younger than 14.
Rudy, W. (1996). The campus and a nation in crisis: From the American revolution to Vietnam. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press.

1869 Underprepared students admitted conditionally to Cornell University, with required tutoring and special courses
Brier, E. (1984). Bridging the academic preparation gap: An historical view. Journal of Developmental Education, 8(1), 2-5.

1874 Harvard offers a first-year, remedial-level English course in response to faculty complaints that too many students lack competency for formal writing activities. (Harvard was also the first institution that permitted elective courses in response to changing curricular needs.)
Maxwell, M. (1979). Improving student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1875 Psychological Laboratory founded by William James at Harvard University

1879 Harvard admits 50% of applicants “on condition” due to having failed the entrance examination. Tutorial programs initially designed for success with college entrance exams were expanded to help these provisionally-admitted students succeed in their college courses.
Weidner, H. Z. (1990). Back to the future. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED319045)

1880s Remedial-level courses offered by 84% of land grant institutions. The most frequent term used to describe learning assistance from the 1860s through the early 1960s was “remedial education,” targeting specific skill deficits of students and employing new educational approaches.
Craig, C. M. (1997). Developmental education: A historical perspective. Paper presented at the National Association for Developmental Education Conference, Atlanta, GA.

1888 Orientation program developed at Boston University

1889 About 80% of colleges in the U.S. have established some sort of college preparatory program
Canfield, J. H. (1889). The opportunities of the rural population for higher education. Nashville, TN: National Council on Education.

1892 Harvard Reports of 1892, 1895, and 1897 document poor academic preparation of admitted students; administrators surprised to discover that students suffering academic difficulty were not only those with poor or absent high school education but also “picked boys” from upper-class society
Goodwin, W. W. (1895). School English. Nation, 61, 291-293.

1894 More than 40% of first-year college students enrolled in college preparatory courses
Ignash, J. M. (Ed.). (1997). Implementing effective policies for remedial and developmental education. New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 100. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1895 Nearly 40% of all college students directly admitted from the college’s own academic preparatory department

1900 College Entrance Examination Board founded to screen college applicants
Maxwell, M. (1979). Improving student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1900s Junior colleges (later renamed community colleges) extend the new secondary school movement. Because many 4-year institutions transfer their academic preparatory programs to these new institutions in the early 1900’s, junior colleges become “the Ellis Island of higher education” (Vaughan, p. 9).
Vaughan, G. B. (Ed.) (1983). Issues for community college leaders in a new era. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1907 At Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia, half the students still fail to earn the minimum composite entrance exam score. Harvard offers a remedial-level reading course beginning in the early 1900s.
Brubacher, J. S., & Rudy, W. (1976). Higher education in transition: A history of American colleges and universities, 1636-1976 (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row.

1909 Publication of F. M. McMurray’s How to Study and Teaching How to Study by Houghton Mifflin

1909 “How to study” courses offered by more than 350 colleges for academically underprepared students

1913 The U.S. Commissioner for Education reports that approximately 80% of postsecondary institutions offer college preparatory programs with a wide variety of services, including tutoring and remedial-level courses—nearly the same percentage as in the mid-1800s.
Maxwell, M. (1979). Improving student learning skills: A comprehensive guide to successful practices and programs for increasing the performance of underprepared students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1923 Freshman Week introduced at the University of Maine

1926 Study skills course mandated for low-scoring students admitted to University of Buffalo
Maxwell, M. (1979). Improving student learning skills: A comprehensive guide to successful practices and programs for increasing the performance of underprepared students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1929 One-fourth of state universities assess reading with the admission examination. Nearly half of all students are enrolled in remedial-level courses often focused heavily on reading skills.
Parr, E. W. (1930, April). The extent of remedial reading work in state universities in the United States. School and Society, 31(799), 547-548.

1932 General College established at the University of Minnesota for students not meeting admission standards (after legislature force UMN to accept all state high school graduates)
Maclean, M. S. (1940, May). The General College of the University of Minnesota. The Journal of Higher Education, 11(5), 231-233.

1933 Publication of G. Wrenn’s Practical Study Aids by Stanford University Press

1936 Reading Laboratory established at New York University

1937 Graduate Record Exam (GRE) established

1938 Remedial reading courses established at Harvard and Dartmouth
Wyatt, M. (1992). The past, present, and future need for college reading courses in the U.S. Journal of Reading, 36(1), 10-20.

1941 Francis P. Robinson of Ohio State University publishes Diagnostic and remedial techniques for effective study.

1944 G.I. Bill of Rights (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act) passed

1946 Bureau of Study Counsel established at Harvard University with William G. Perry as its first director. Perry soon renames the unpopular remedial reading course to “The Reading Class”; enrollment increases from 30 to 400 annually, including undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.

1946 Francis P. Robinson of Ohio State University publishes Effective study (Rev ed.).

1947 Holding college created for students entering University of Maryland with below-average high school grades
(Cited in Maxwell, M. (1997). Improving student learning skills: A new edition. H & H.)

1948 William S. Gray asserts that all college students should have reading instruction
Wyatt, M. (1992). The past, present, and future need for college reading courses in the U.S. Journal of Reading, 36(1), 10-20.

1948 “Higher Education and American Democracy,” report by Truman Commission, stimulates development of community colleges

1950s College enrollment increases significantly as college enrollment rates rise from 15% to 24% among 18-24-year-olds over that decade.

1951 Publication of results of a national survey documenting the growth of reading clinics created to meet the increased number of students academically underprepared for college-level work
Barbe, W. (1951). Reading improvement services in colleges and universities. School and Society, 74(1907), 6-7.

1950’s Counseling services initiated in remedial programs
Kulik, J. A., & Kulik, C.-L. C. (1991).Developmental instruction: An analysis of the research. Boone, NC: National Center for Developmental Education, Appalachian State University.

1950’s Required college orientation courses proliferate, along with reading and study skills and career planning. Programmed learning materials based on B. F. Skinner’s work result in development of several individualized reading programs.
Maxwell, M. (1997). Improving student learning skills: A new edition. Clearwater, FL: H & H.

1950’s Learning assistance philosophy develops with focus on diagnosis, individualization, developmental approach and student-centered instruction
Lissner, L. S. (1990). The learning center from 1829 to the year 2000 and beyond. In R. M. Hashway (Ed.), Handbook of developmental education (pp. 127-15)

1955 In nationwide study, reading courses found to earn college credit at about half of colleges offering them
Causey, O. S. (1955). A report on college reading programs in the nation. In O. S. Causey & A. J. Kingston (Eds.), Evaluating college reading programs, fourth yearbook of the Southwest Reading Conference for Colleges and Universities. Ft. Worth, TX: Texas Christian University Press.

1955 College Reading Association (CRA) founded

1957 Publication of Journal of Developmental Reading at Purdue University with Dr. George Schick as founding editor (7 volumes, 1957-1964)

1957 University of Maryland Reading & Study Skills Lab (RASSL) founded by Martha Maxwell

1958 Following Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957, National Defense Education Act enacted to provide US with defense personnel trained in foreign languages and cultures, math, science, and engineering) and with a better-educated population. The effect is to shift scholarship funds to brightest students, away from at-risk students
Maxwell, M. (1997). Improving student learning skills: A new edition. Clearwater, FL: H & H.

1959 Publication of the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Journal of College Student Development

1959 William G. Perry’s report to Harvard faculty on remedial reading
Perry, W. G. (1959). Student use and misuse of reading skills: A report to the faculty. Harvard Education Review, 29, 193-200.

1960 Publication of College Reading Association’s Journal of the Reading Specialist, which later becomes Reading World and now Reading Research and Instruction

1960s College enrollment rate of 18-24-year-olds increases to 35%; in the 1970’s reaches 45%, primarily due to increased enrollment by adult and part-time students who require different learning assistance support than their peers.
National Center for Education Statistics. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.

1962 Publication of first edition of Walter Pauk’s first, best-selling, and foundational, How to Study in College, which includes his widely-used Cornell System for taking notes

1962 First publication of North Central Reading Association Proceedings (1962-1984)

1963 First published article using the term learning center in higher education.
Balanoff, N., & Wood, J. (1963, April). Learning center: A saturation experience at Stephens College. Audiovisual Instruction, 8, 226-229.

1964 Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other programs of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, which expanded learning centers’ role beyond preparation of students for college-level courses and enabled postsecondary institutions to increase enrollment of students who had previously been excluded—but failed to provide funding and trained personnel needed to provide services

1964 Publication by US Dept of Education of Compensatory Education for Cultural Deprivation and creation of the Office of Compensatory Education, reflecting a perspective that compensatory education was needed to remedy prior discrimination in the United States

1965 The Higher Education Act (HEA): Federal Title IV Financial Aid Programs

1965 First publication of College Student Personnel Abstracts

1965 First published article on a community college learning center
Brown, E. T. (1965, September). A community college’s learning laboratory. Wilson Library Bulletin, 40, 80-83

1966 Formation of Western College Reading Association (WCRA, now known as the College Reading and Learning Association) at a meeting in San Bernardino, CA, hosted by Guy Williams and sponsored by SRA (Science Research Associates, publishers of SRA Reading Labs and SRA Reading Boxes)

1967 First issue of WCRA Newsletter

1968 First annual conference of WCRA, in Phoenix, AZ, with keynote address by Dr. Robert Shafer of Arizona State University, “The Practical Critic, the Rhetorician, and a Developing Model of Reading Comprehension”

1969 Development of compensatory education programs such as TRiO and other Equal Opportunity Programs (originated in 1969 Civil Rights legislation) requiring that eligible students meet one or more of the following criteria: (a) neither parent completed college, (b) economically disadvantaged background, or (c) eligible disability

1970 First article discussing the learning center’s role as a change agent
Hultgren. D. (1970). The role of the individual learning center in effecting educational change. In G. B. Schick & M. M. May (Eds.), Reading: Process and Pedagogy. National Reading Conference 19th Yearbook (Vol. 2, pp. 89-94). Milwaukee, WI

1970 First learning center article in National Reading Conference Proceedings
Hultgren. D. (1970). The role of the individual learning center in effecting educational change. In G. B. Schick & M.M. May (Eds.), Reading: Process and Pedagogy. National Reading Conference 19th Yearbook (Vol. 2, pp. 89-94). Milwaukee, WI.

1971 First published use of the term, learning assistance center
Christ, F. L. (1971). Systems for learning assistance: Learners, learning facilitators, and learning centers. In F. L. Christ (Ed.), Interdisciplinary Aspects of Reading Instruction, Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association, 4, 32-41.

1972 First USA comprehensive learning support center founded at CSU Long Beach, CA
Christ, F. L. (1980). Learning assistance at a state university: A cybernetic model. In K. Lauridsen (Ed.), Examining the scope of learning centers. New Directions for College Learning Assistance, 1, 45-56.

1972 First article dealing with the learning center’s involvement with students’ academic rights and freedoms
Kerstiens, G. (1972). The ombudsman function of the college learning center. In F. P. Greene (Ed.), College reading: Problems and programs of junior and senior colleges. National Reading Conference 21st Yearbook (Vol. 21, part 2, pp. 221-227).

1972 First published LAC staff training article
Christ, F. L. (1972). Preparing practitioners, counselors, and directors of college learning assistance centers. In F. P. Greene (Ed.) College reading: Problems and programs of junior and senior colleges. National Reading Conference 21st Yearbook (Vol. 21, part 2, pp. 179-188).

1972 First M.A. and Ed.S. graduate programs in developmental education offered at Appalachian State University

1973 California Community College Tutorial Association founded; in 1983 became Association of Colleges for Tutorial and Learning Assistance (ACTLA)

1973 Supplemental Instruction created by Deanna C. Martin, Ph.D., at the University of Missouri-Kansas City

1973 First published article on LAC data collection
Coda-Messerle, M. (1973). Data collection: A cybernetic aspect of a learning assistance center. In G. Kerstiens (Ed.), Technological alternatives in learning. Sixth Annual Proceedings of the Western College Reading Association (Vol. VI, pp. 51-58). Albuquerque, NM: WCRA.

1973 First published article on handicapped and disadvantaged students in the learning center
Pflug, R. J. (1973). The handicapped and disadvantaged students in the learning center. In G. Kerstiens (Ed.), Technological alternatives in learning. Sixth Annual Proceedings of the Western College Reading Association (Vol. VI, pp. 131-136). Albuquerque, NM: WCRA.)

1973 First doctoral dissertation on learning centers
Tillerson, C. W. (1973). Effects of a learning center method versus lecture method of teaching as related to achievement, self-concept, and attitude of college freshmen (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 7312930)

1974 First published article on a learning center in a private university
Walker, C., et al. (1974). A learning assistance center at Stanford. In G. Kerstiens (Ed.), Reading update: Ideals to reality. Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association. Oakland, CA: WCRA.

1974 First US regional association (Learning Assistance Association of New England) of learning assistance centers

1975 First major book on learning centers in higher education
Peterson, G. T. (1975). The learning center: A sphere for nontraditional education. Hamden, CT: Shoestring.

1975 First state (California) survey of learning centers researched by Margaret Coda-Messerle (then Margaret Coda Devirian) and published as the first master’s thesis on learning centers (California State University, Long Beach)
Devirian, M. C. (1975). A survey of learning centers in California (Master’s thesis). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 1307667)

1975 First national survey of learning centers
Devirian, M. C., Enright, G., & Smith, G. D. (1975). A survey of learning program centers in U.S. institutions of higher education. In R. Sugimoto (Ed.), College learning skills today and tomorrowland. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Conference of the Western College Reading Association (Vol. VIII, pp. 69-76).

1975 Task force on learning centers—Task Force 9: Learning Laboratories in Higher Education—appointed by American College Personnel Association (ACPA)

Mid-1970s Academic enrichment and support programs provided by nearly 80% of all postsecondary institutions, at same level as in the late 1880s but in more comprehensive, extensive, and coordinated modes than earlier
Roueche, J., & Snow, G. (1977). Overcoming learning problems. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

1976 First published notice of a learning assistance center in TIME magazine,
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945513,00.html

1976 Publication by National Council of Teachers of English of Learning Skills Centers: A CCCC Report.

1976 National Orientation Directors Association (NODA) chartered

1976 National Association for Remedial/Developmental Studies in Postsecondary Education (NAR/DSPE) formed at a meeting in Chicago with Gary Saretsky as its first president

1970s Emergence of the term developmental education, from assumptions in the college student personnel field that all college students were developing throughout their college career

1976 National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE) established at Appalachian State with a three-year grant from the Kellogg Foundation

1977 Formation of Commission XVI, Learning Centers in Higher Education, as part of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), with Robbie Nayman (Colorado State University) as Interim Chairperson

1977 First issue of ACPA Commission XVI newsletter, Learning Centers in Higher Education

1977 First annual institute for learning center directors and staff at the University of California Berkeley under direction of Martha Maxwell. Institutes continued through 1981.
Maxwell, M. (1981). An annual institute for directors and staff of college learning centers. In F. Christ & M. Coda-Messerle (Eds.), Staff development for learning support systems. New directions for college learning assistance (pp. 39-45). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

1977 First published article on learning center management
Christ, F. L. (1977). Management of a learning assistance sector. In G. Enright (Ed.), Personalizing learning systems: Ecologies and strategies. Tenth Annual Proceedings of the Western College Reading Association (Vol. X, pp. 76-84). Denver, CO: WCRA.

1978 First Annual New York College Learning Skills Association (NYCLSA) symposium

1979 Results of an international survey (United States and Canada) of learning centers published by LeRoy L. Sullivan
Sullivan, L. L. (1979). Sullivan's guide to learning centers in higher education. Entelek.

1978 First annual National Conference on College Learning Centers sponsored by Long Island University and directed by Lester Wilson

1978 First annual meeting of New England Association of Academic Support Personnel at Simmons College, in April

1978 First issue of Journal of Developmental & Remedial Education, published in April, with opening article on ACPA Commission XVI by Hunter Boylan and Robbie Nayman

1978 National Council of Educational Opportunity Associations (NCEOA) created by Clark Chipman and Arnold Mitchem to coordinate efforts of regional associations to influence national policy; in 1998 became Council on Opportunity in Education (COE)

1979 Publication of Improving Student Learning Skills by Martha Maxwell

1970s-1980’s Increased need for comprehensive learning assistance centers and remedial or developmental courses in community colleges, resulting from recruiting by four-year institutions of more academically able students

1980 First Kellogg Institute at Appalachian State University

1980 First volume of 12 published in the New Directions for College Learning Assistance series; first volume edited by Kurt Lauridsen
Lauridsen, K. (Ed.). Examining the scope of learning centers. New Directions for College Learning Assistance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. See http://www.lsche.net/?page_id=3126

1980 ACPA Commission XVI’s first draft of professional standards for a learning center

1981 Supplemental Instruction designated an Exemplary Educational Program by the U.S. Department of Education

1982 First published article on computers and learning centers
Christ, F. L. (1982). Computers in learning assistance centers and developmental education: Beginning to explore. Journal of Developmental & Remedial Education (Fall), 10-13.

1982 Publication of first volume and issue of Journal of Learning Skills

1983 First hands-on computer workshop at a learning support conference, led by Lucy T. MacDonald with 25 Apple II computers at the WCRA/WCRLA conference in Portland, OR

1983 WCRA becomes Western College Reading and Learning Association, acknowledging breadth of membership in writing, learning assistance, tutorial programs, mathematics, developmental studies, counseling, and other fields

1983 Proceedings of the Annual Conferences of WCRA becomes Journal of College Reading and Learning

1983 Publication of the first Proceedings of the National Conferences on College Learning Centers

1983 Inaugural issue of Review of Research in Developmental Education published by the National Center for Developmental Education

1983 CRLA initiates its Learning Assistance Center Management Special Interest Group (SIG) with Patti Dozen, CSU Long Beach, as its first leader

1983 Draft of Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Standards for Learning Assistance Programs approved for dissemination to learning assistance professionals

1983 Learning Assistance Association of New England formed

1983 First recipient of John Champaign Memorial Award for Outstanding Learning Assistance Program named (Frank L. Christ, Coordinator of CSU Long Beach Learning Assistance Support System) by National Association for Remedial/Developmental Studies in Postsecondary Education

1983 First annual East Coast Conferences on Issues in Learning Centers, directed by L. Wilson, Long Island University, New York (continuing to 1989)

1984 First volume and issue of Research & Teaching in Developmental Education, published by NYCLSA

1984 NAR/DSPE becomes NADE, National Association for Developmental Education

1985 Midwest College Learning Center Association (MCLCA → NCLCA) founded; task force members: Janet Norton, Carl Terichman, Ralph Powell, Mary Ann Bushman, Michael Murphy, Phyllis Deutsch, H. Laury LePage, and Sandra Burmeister

1983 Journal of Developmental & Remedial Education replaced by Journal of Developmental Education (published by National Center for Developmental Education) as NADE’s official journal

1985 Summer Institutes for Learning Assistance Center Directors and Staff, formerly at UC Berkeley, continue at CSU Long Beach until 1989, under direction of Frank Christ and Elaine Burns

1985 Remedial writing course established at Harvard University

1986 Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) releases first set of standards and guidelines for learning assistance programs

1986 First annual conference of Midwest College Learning Center Association (MCLCA) at University of Wisconsin/Parkside

1986 First doctoral (Ed.D.) program in developmental education offered by Grambling State University

1987 First published article on standards for learning assistance programs
Materniak, G., & Williams, A. (1987). CAS standards and guidelines for learning assistance programs. Journal of Developmental Education, 11(1), 12-18.

1989 WCRLA becomes CRLA, College Reading and Learning Association, to acknowledge a membership stretching across the US, Canada, and overseas

1989 CRLA’s International Tutor Certification Program begins certifying tutor training programs

1989 First MCLCA Summer Institute at University of Wisconsin/Parkside

1990 Interim Summer Institute for Learning Assistance Center Directors and Staff held at United States Air Force Academy under the co-direction of Captain Andy Stricker (USAFA) and Frank Christ (CSU Long Beach)

1990 First doctoral dissertation emphasizing usefulness of learning assistance centers in developmental education
Van, B. (1990). Application of essential developmental education principles by program administrators. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.

1991 First doctoral dissertation on a community college model of a learning assistance center
Burns, M. E. (1991). A study to formulate a learning assistance model for the California community college. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.

1992 First Winter Institute for learning assistance professionals, in Tucson, sponsored by the University of Arizona. Winter Institutes continued under the co-directorship of University of Arizona (Frank Christ) and Maricopa County Community College District (Rick Sheets).

1993 ATP (Association for the Tutoring Profession) founded by Darlene Buck, Dr. Ken Gattis, Dr. Jennifer Hurd, Darlene Kohrman, Arlene Krellwitz, Dr. Stephanie Marsh, Teri Mates, Beth Nikopoulos, Jane Pole, Dr. Jack Truschel, Kathy Schrader, Jim Valkenburg, Lynell Williams, Wendy Wilson, and Mike Zenanko

1994 LRNASST listserv initiated on the Internet with Guillermo Uribe (University of Arizona) as Listserv Manager

1994 First doctoral dissertation focusing on tutor training—a quantitative analysis of the effects of tutor training and experience on tutors’ responses to tutoring situations
Sheets, R. A. (1994). The effects of training and experience on adult peer tutors in community colleges. (Doctoral dissertation). Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Retrieved from http://www.lsche.net/?page_id=613

Mid-1990s Contract by Kaplan, Inc. https://kaplan.com/ and Sylvan Learning Systems ) with Greenville Technical College (SC), Columbia College Chicago (IL), Howard Community College (MD), Towson University (MD), and several other proprietary schools to provide instruction in remedial- and developmental-level skill areas of mathematics, reading, and writing; pilot programs failed for financial reasons

1995 First online tutoring program at Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA, developed by Marci Morris

1995 First online learning skills course, offered on the web by Lucy MacDonald at Chemeketa Community College

1995 First learning assistance or developmental education conference webpage published via the World Wide Web: CRLA’s conference in Tempe, AZ, “Time for Transformations,” with a listing of the conference schedule, keynote presenter, and concurrent sessions (conference chair, Patricia Mulcahy-Ernt; on-site chair, Rick Sheets) at

1996 First volume of The Learning Assistance Review, the journal of the Midwest College Learning Center Association (MCLCA), edited by Martha Casazza, National-Louis University, and Karen Quinn, University of Illinois at Chicago

1996 First CRLA/NADE International Symposium, held in Kananaskis, Alberta

1996 American Council of Developmental Education Associations (ACDEA) founded by representatives of CRLA, MCLCA, NADE, NCDE, and NTA to engage in cooperative activities, information sharing, and networking

1996-7 Learning Support Centers in Higher Education (LSCHE) web portal initiated by co-founders Frank Christ (University of Arizona) and Rick Sheets (Paradise Valley College) with initial name of Winter Institute Website

1998 Research & Scholars Library for Learning Assistance under development at the University of Missouri/Kansas City under the co-direction of David Arendale (University of Missouri/Kansas City) and Frank Christ (University of Arizona)

1998 CRLA begins accepting applications for its new International Mentor Certification Program (IMCP, later renamed IMTPC, International Mentor Training Program Certification)

1999 MCLCA (Midwest College Learning Center Association) changes its name and mission to NCLCA (National College Learning Center Association)

2000 Twenty-first annual Institute for Learning Center Directors and Staff held in Tucson, co-sponsored by University of Arizona and Maricopa County Community College District

2000 First recorded use of a Virtual Learning Support Center Specialist in an online course, PSY 210, at Cochise College, AZ

2000 First CRLA/NADE symposium in US, in Breckenridge, CO

2000 First 13 Fellows inducted by ACDEA: Dr. David Arendale, Dr. Hunter Boylan, Dr. Martha Casazza, Mr. Frank Christ, Dr. K. Patricia Cross, Dr. Alvin Granowsky, Dr. Gene Kerstiens, Dr. Martha Maxwell, Ms. Kathy Nuse, Dr. Walter Pauk, Dr. Michael Rose, Dr. Karen G. Smith, and Dr. Milton “Bunk” Spann

2001 Publication of a learning center monograph, sponsored by the College Reading and Learning Association
Christ, F., Sheets, R., & Smith, K. (Eds.). Starting a learning assistance center. Clearwater, FL: H & H.

2001 First online graduate course on learning centers, Grambling State University (Frank Christ, instructor)

2001 First annual LSCHE award for most outstanding learning support center web sites

2002 First mention of Learning Support Centers in an encyclopedia of higher education.

2005 First publication of best practices of learning centers

2005 General College at the University of Minnesota closed by UMN president to “raise institutional standards” and (unsuccessfully) attempt to make the university one of the top research universities in the country

2007 American Council of Developmental Education Associations (ACDEA) restructured as Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA) with new name, mission, and bylaws (member organizations: ATP, CRLA, NADE, NCDE, NCLCA)

2008 First digital submission available among the CLADEA organizations for certification application submissions: for CRLA’s International Tutor Training Program Certification (ITTPC), previously submitted in hard-copy packets

2012 Association of Colleges for Tutoring and Learning Assistance (ACTLA) admitted to CLADEA, joining ACTP, CRLA, NCDE, NCLCA, and NOSS (formerly NADE)

2013 First CLADEA white paper published, Meaningful Access and Support: The Path to College Completion, by Martha Casazza and Sharon Silverman

2013 First CRLA white paper published, The Terrain of College Developmental Reading, by Jodi Holschuh and Eric Paulson

2014 Publication of first Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA) book, written and edited by Fellows in honor of Martha Maxwell and titled, The Profession and Practice of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education: Essays in Memory of Martha Maxwell

2018 NCLCA publishes the book, Learning Centers in the 21st Century: A Modern Guide for Learning Assistance Professionals in Higher Education

2019 NADE, the National Association for Developmental Education, becomes NOSS, the National Organization for Student Success.

2021 The National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE) at Appalachian State University was dissolved.