Examines the admission criteria, placement test scores, and final examination scores of students at Oxford and Cambridge Universities for statistical evidence of gender and social inequality inherent in the system. Discovers irrefutable evidence of inequity among test scores and offers several explanations for this. (MJP)

Explores the link between the established tradition of a nation's vocational training system and the specific pattern of state or government involvement in the process of skill formation. Maintains that the German government's participation in quality control and selective admission is limited and offset by other factors. (MJP)

Comprehensive or nonselective schools have been in existence in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, having gradually replaced the old selective system of grammar schools for able pupils and secondary modern schools for less able pupils. In spite of their growth in numbers, comprehensive schools have been subject to continual controversy, and…

Analyzes data collected from freshman at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) between 1989 and 1992. Suggests that high school records (grade point average and number of courses completed) are a better predictor of academic success than entrance examinations. Discusses technical aspects of the study and social implications of its results. (MJP)

Presents an in-depth portrait of the British government's educational policy in the Bechuanaland protectorate. The government systematized the primary school syllabus, regularized payment and training of teachers, and established cattle post schools. However, blatant discrimination favored support of European schools over African and little…

Addresses the central issue of test biases in college entrance examinations. Utilizes differential item functioning analysis (DIF) to compare types of questions, fields of knowledge, and male and female responses in Turkish entrance examinations. Reveals intermittent biases and suggests the tests be used more for assessment than selection. (MJP)

Questions the theory of counter selection which holds that quotas implemented after the Communist seizure of power in Hungary reduced educational inequalities based on class of origin. Maintains that social status and class-based inequalities were reproduced through the efforts of cadre administrators and professionals. (MJP)

Criticizes approach to equal education that seeks equality of outcome as well as equality of opportunity. Discusses Spearman's theory of g that attempts to explain individual differences in intelligence. Contrasts efforts at genuinely reducing equality of outcome, including Aptitude X Treatment Interaction, Mastery Learning, and Thinking Skills…

This essay reviews research pertaining to the relative merits and drawbacks of expanding family choice in public education. A primary objective is to identify and explore tensions among competing objectives in the design of expanded choice systems. After an introductory section on goals and definitions, the second section explores how more family…