The many different kinds of urban institutions are identified and the state of higher education in urban areas is discussed. The effect of the land-grant colleges movement is described. Three guiding philosophies during the present century about American education are identified: colleges as aristocratic institutions, meritocracy, and…

The most widely accepted classification system of institutions of higher education, the Carnegie system, does not provide any sub-groupings for the category of two-year institutions. This lack of precision has inhibited the understanding of the diversity among and between community colleges, their missions, functions, curricula, students, and…

This personal report of classroom experiences at an urban commuter college relates the experiences of a teacher and a group of working-class students studying the book "Utopia," which is also the metaphor for the hoped-for learning experience. The book, illustrated by excerpts from student-submitted work, shows how pedagogical theory leads to…