Describes Open Meadow Learning Center (Portland, Oregon), a private alternative high school with a long waiting list and a probationary period for new students. School features include an advocacy role for teachers that strengthens teacher/student relationships, 80% attendance requirement, safe and supportive environment, environmental…

After the appellate court decision in Hopwood versus State of Texas, overturning racial preference in law school admissions, supporters of continued affirmative action policy in higher education are finding conservatives on the offensive and a chilly climate for broad access, but are not planning an aggressive counterattack for fear of negative…

According to a report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE), a nonprofit organization that promotes public policies that enhance higher education opportunity, 250,000 prospective students were locked out of college in 2003-2004 because of increased tuition or reductions in admissions and course offerings. The…

Race-conscious affirmative action in higher education survived a close challenge in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race was a valid academic admission criteria in the "Grutter v. Bollinger" case. Two years later, a number of "pipeline" programs to help under-represented minorities gain admission to and complete graduate school have…

The development and current status of "special-action" admissions at the undergraduate level are considered for the University of California and California State University, and recommendations are offered for strengthening the special-action admissions process. Special-action admissions provides some flexibility in admitting students…

Using recent theory and research on individual differences, learning, and instruction, this paper attempts to answer the following two questions: What criteria should be used to select students to receive services under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (1981) and what kinds of chapter 1 services should be provided to…

Race-conscious affirmative action programs in higher education are subject to strict scrutiny, which is the highest standard of review used by the courts to evaluate a policy's constitutionality. The courts employ a two-part test, examining whether the policy serves a compelling governmental interest (the underlying goal of the policy must be…

The article begins by setting out a confluence of events that initiated a proposal to attract students from Taiwan to a new EdD program in Australia, and then explores the tensions and congruities that ensue from this scenario. The main tensions and congruities revolved around issues of standards, quality, English-language levels, profit motives,…

This article describes the origins, evolution, and development of a comprehensive civic engagement program designed to encourage Ivy League students to pursue public service careers with nonprofits and municipal government organizations serving New York City's poorest children, families, and neighborhoods. The article offers a detailed description…

A description is given of the efforts taken by the elementary education department at a medium-sized mid-western state university to create and implement a restrictive admissions process. An unpredicted influx of students attempting to register for the three pre-professional courses required for program admission brought into focus the necessity…

Those responsible for selection for employment or schooling should use unbiased procedures which predict individual performance, evaluate individuals, and identify the highest ranked individuals. The problem of personnel selection can be viewed as a problem in decision theory in which group membership (race, age, religion) provides a certain…

Sixteen premedical students from underrepresented minority groups participated in a six-week, six-course program at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (Illinois). Academic performance before and during program participation was compared for students subsequently offered or denied admission. Accepted and denied students could be…

To comply with the district desegregation plan, the San Francisco Unified School District previously required higher scores for Chinese American applicants to its academic magnet high school than for more underrepresented groups. Examines the admissions debate, suggesting that exclusion of Asian and Latino concerns in district policymaking led to…

An examination of higher education in India focuses on the complexities of the sociocultural context in which it operates. Public policy concerning equity for specific social groups, including women, racial minorities, castes, and tribes, is discussed and difficulties in bridging the gap between policy and practice are noted. (MSE)

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) was established to develop technically informed leadership within the Indian community by significantly and quickly increasing the number of American Indian scientists and engineers, ensuring professional growth, and developing Indian leaders through precollege culturally sensitive camps,…