Nearly four out of five students who undergo remediation in college graduated from high school with grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher, according to a report issued today by Strong American Schools, a group that advocates making public-school education more rigorous.

Moreover, the report says, a national survey of 688 students in such classes found more than half saying that in high school they were good students who worked hard and nearly always completed their assignments. Nearly six in 10 said their high-school classes were easy, and nearly half said they wished their high-school classes had been harder.

Based on an analysis of federal data from 2004, the report says 43 percent of students at public two-year colleges and 29 percent of students at public four-year colleges have enrolled in remedial courses. It estimates that such institutions spend a total of about $2.5-billion annually providing remedial instruction.

Strong American Schools, established by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonprofit group that offers advice to charitable organizations, is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. Some prominent education analysts have accused it of overstating the problems of American schools to promote policy changes favored by corporate interests.

The new report follows other research suggesting that remedial programs, on the whole, do not have much long-term influence on college students’ success. —Peter Schmidt