In early 1996, the Atlanta school board approved a plan to reconstitute Walden Middle School, opening it to students across the city and substantially changing the composition of the faculty. This report for 1996-97 recounts the first year of the reform effort, during which all positions were declared vacant and a new staff and faculty were…

Discusses the evolution of the reading and study skills program at one metropolitan open admissions two-year college, including the nature and reasons for the changes that have taken place in the program. Concludes that flexible reading programs can significantly assist students in all areas of academic study. (FL)

Discusses the modalities of access to public universities and private Fachhochschulen (technical colleges) in Austria in light of the 1993 University Organization Act, which gave universities greater autonomy and allowed them to take market conditions of supply and demand into account in regard to admissions and programs. (MDM)

Nine complete papers and 32 abstracts are contained in this special issue drawn from the proceedings of the fifth annual meeting of writing supervisors within the City University of New York (CUNY). The first complete paper surveys basic writing programs over the decade and points to difficulties overcome, accomplishments,and future needs. The…

As a result of an open admissions policy, the City University of New York (CUNY) was faced with large numbers of students in need of instruction in the basic skills. Each college had to develop testing programs to determine placement and to diagnose individual students needs, and each was faced with the necessity of creating larger programs in…

Revised general education (GE) curricula at two community colleges are described in an effort to illustrate the outcomes of a "telic" curriculum revision based on: (1) the collective identification of the purposes of GE by an institution's faculty, and (2) the design of a GE curriculum which reconciles those identified purposes with the…

This paper discusses the low college attainment rates in Maine at all levels of the educational continuum. The percent of Maine adults age 25 and older with associate degrees declined from 6.9% in 1990 to 5.4% in 2000. The percent with bachelors degrees increased slightly from 21.5% in 1995 to 24.1% in 2000, but remains far below the New England…

Harrison Wilson will retire as president of Norfolk State University (Virginia) after 22 years. The university has multiplied its annual budget by six, increased enrollment and faculty, added 14 buildings and 51 acres, and increased bachelor's programs. Despite a low graduation rate, the school has maintained open admissions to give low-achieving…

First-cycle university courses in France have a special function, both providing education and serving as an adjustment variable, guaranteeing a place in higher education for any student with the "baccalaureat" degree. Suggests criticism of the system for poor completion rates in undergraduate courses is partially unfounded because the…

Discusses school power structures. Cites the following examples of "bottom-up" authority: (1) vouchers; (2) magnet schools; and (3) open enrollment. Suggests a new model in which the larger school districts function as "holding companies" and individual schools function as "subsidiaries" of the parent company. (FMW)

For years in Australia some form of public examination has been regarded as the test of the 'good' school or student. As a direct consequence, the examination exerts an influence upon the curriculum that makes reform difficult. An open admissions policy is discussed. (MLW)

Different models of integrated education in the United States, Sweden, and Germany, including open admissions systems, are discussed in 16 conference papers. Titles include the following: "Opportunity and Achievement: An Analysis of Labor Market Experiences among Recent Graduates from the City University of New York" (James Murtha, Barry…

Following a 3-year feasibility study, Fox Valley Technical Institute (FVTI) converted 18 vocational-technical education programs to year-round operation. Each of these programs is being implemented based on the departmental plan best suited for the particular program, so that the maximum number of students may be served at the lowest possible…

The survival of black public school teachers is contingent upon significant improvement in their performance on the National Teacher Examination (NTE). The soundest way to improve their performance is to improve the educational program in the black colleges and universities where the teachers are trained. As open admissions institutions, it is the…

Five essays for reading instructors at two-year colleges are provided in this issue of "Forum for Reading." First, Kent Smith notes the increased recruitment of underprepared students and argues that colleges are responsible for assuring that admissions personnel, administrators, and faculty know the types of students they can and cannot…