Equity in access to educational resources faces new challenges in the age of technology, with great disparity in access to educational technology. The article proposes an alternative direction for equity of access to global learning networks as a catalyst for genuine educational reform that upholds civil rights law. (Author/SM)

Reviews two books on the role of gender in higher education: "Gender and Higher Education in the Progressive Era" (Lynn D. Gordon), and "Educated in Romance: Women, Achievement, and College Culture" (Dorothy C. Holland and Margaret A. Eisenhart). Both books argue that gender determines educational experiences and societal…

A 1980 analysis of educational films on Africa in the collection of a major U.S. urban public school district and a 1991 follow-up reveal that the district's visual resources about Africa were, with few exceptions, inaccurate and misleading, exhibiting the worst stereotypes. Reviews some practical approaches to cross-cultural education. (SLD)

Assessment of Hopwood v Texas ruling on admissions at West Texas A&M University finds it has had little effect on that institution. The school stepped up recruitment efforts, targeting high schools with diverse populations. Additionally, the state's "10 percent" rule automatically made the top 10% percent of graduating students…

This paper explicates methods to motivate African American students to exhibit attitudes and behaviors that are conducive to high academic achievement. In particular, it argues that educational models must acknowledge and correct students' sense of academic futility. Academic futility measures student perceptions of the extent to which factors in…

Recognizing that all learning must on some level be voluntary, the author draws on his experiences as an educator to explore not-learning as distinct from failure. The refusal to learn can be a reaction to the conditions of schooling, which many learners, particularly those from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, find irrelevant at best or…

A collection of essays presents the updated positions of nine critics of the community college who from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s participated in a debate with two-year college proponents over many of the fundamental assumptions of the community college movement. The volume contains: (1) "From Mass to Class in Higher Education," by…

This monograph examines use of standardized tests in higher education, particularly the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT), as an issue of social justice and the public interest and in the context of national concerns over access, equity, and demands for accountability. The paper notes public interest in access and equity beginning with 1930s…

This paper examines the historical perspective of women in higher education, the problems facing women moving into leadership roles, the impact of Title IX on women, and finally the implications of these factors on women's ability to advance in higher education. The paper begins by examining the effect of affirmative action on women's progress,…

Argues against the Supreme Court's overturning of lower court decisions in support of a deaf child's right to a classroom interpreter. Reproaches the majority opinion for ignoring "a clear legislative mandate" from the federal government to provide handicapped children with educational opportunities equal to those provided nonhandicapped…

Maintains that educational reformers need to examine the past to understand why middle schools have not succeeded with Mexican Americans, and argues that current school reform does not depart radically from early 20th-century logic and practice. Presents current research and policy in a historical perspective. Describes Project Theme, a…

Criticizes Charles Murray's "The Bell Curve" and attempts a more cogent analysis of the respective roles of blacks and the U.S. political economy. Utilizes a sociology of knowledge framework to discuss the evolving nature of blacks in the nation's workforce. Briefly discusses eugenics and the history of racist social theories. (MJP)

Argues that nonmainstream (nonwhite and nonmiddle class) students do not perform as well in school as do mainstream students because they are not equitably served by the educational system. Equity issues in the literacy education of minorities are explored, examining student characteristics, sociocultural factors, language issues, and…

This ethnography of eight lower-track classrooms in two schools gives insight into the operation of the tracking system, although it implicitly accepts tracking and does not face the injustice children experience as a result of lower-track placement. Broader structural reasons underlying the tracking system are not examined. (SLD)

Despite the many limitations of standardized tests, schools use them to determine if children are ready for school, to group students for instruction, to diagnose learning disabilities and other handicaps, and to guide and control the curriculum and teaching methods. No test is good enough to serve as the sole or primary basis for important…