Jill Biden, a longtime teacher and wife of Vice President Joe Biden, visited Austin Community College’s Highland Campus on March 9 to explore the new ACCelerator math lab the school district debuted last fall. The Second Lady was joined by U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell to tour the new campus. Biden also spoke with students from ACC’s development math course, which has gained national attention for its early student success and retention rate. “I teach a lot of developmental students and a lot of returning students, and the one stumbling block does seem to be math,” Biden said during the student roundtable discussion. “This seems to be so empowering and so positive, and students can see immediate success—so it gives them the confidence, and I always say with teaching half the battle is giving them the confidence.” Utilizing a 600-plus computer station learning lab, the ACC course combines three developmental math classes. The math-focused program customizes lessons for each student, according to ACC, and the results so far have been encouraging. The course’s withdrawal rate was less than half the rate for traditional developmental math classes, according to information provided by ACC. “This is all about retention,” Biden said. “This will help retain students and take away the fears.” In addition, 75 percent of students completed the equivalent of one traditional math course, and more than 14 percent completed the equivalent of two courses. Thirteen more students completed the equivalent of all three courses. “We are redesigning learning,” says Charles Cook, ACC provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, in a statement. “This is an opportunity for all students to accelerate at the rate that works for them. Motivated students can finish up to three courses in a single semester. Those who need longer can begin where they left off the next semester, rather than withdrawing or failing in the traditional classes and beginning the course all over.” Biden called the program a model for other community colleges to adopt at their own campuses. For more information about the ACCelerator, visit www.austincc.edu/accelerator.