This review of key Supreme Court cases dealing with school integration can foster class discussion on racial progress and the role of the courts in determining educational policy. A teaching activity is included. (Contains 10 notes, 3 resources, and 7 cases cited.)

Previous reports by the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) on higher education have dealt with topics such as trends in college remediation courses (Plucker, Wongsarpigoon, & Houser, 2003), post-secondary credit-based transition programs (Plucker, Chieu, & Zaman, 2006), university sponsorship of charter schools (Plucker et…

The National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE), consisting of a national commission, an advisory board, and a research team at New York University, aims to engage realistic and actionable discussions about the mobility and educational opportunities for AAPIs and how distinctions of race, ethnicity,…

For a number of years, colleges and universities have been making efforts to amend past discrimination and noninclusion of underserved minority students through targeted admissions, financial aid, and other programs. Now, these programs--in their original incarnation and, some would say, their original intent--are on the line. The big push to…

Northeastern University's Torch Scholars Program is designed to seek out first-generation students who would not qualify under the university's regular admissions process. The scholarships go to motivated students who have shown determination in overcoming personal challenges. Northeastern believes the experiment will enhance the socioeconomic…

In this essay, Rebecca Zwick confronts the controversy surrounding the use of standardized tests in college admissions. She examines the degree to which the SAT and its lesser known cousin, the ACT, limit access to college, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, and considers two alternative admissions policies that do not involve tests:…

Throughout the 20th century, one of the central debates pertaining to postsecondary education has been about the concept of merit. Who deserves to go to college? The answer to that question goes to the heart of various policies that have been developed, changed, and debated. Perhaps no other policy has drawn more prominence and criticism than that…

As teachers and students consider the heated conversations over selective college admission, including a loud cry to end or curtail early application programs, the author urges admission offices to consider that greater access to the most selective schools must involve a redistribution of precious resources. A smaller percentage of early admits…

Reports on undergraduate admissions processes at four elite universities. Results show that the Asian American admission rate is below the overall admission rate. Reasons for lower rates are discussed, as are the consequences of manipulating admissions to achieve diversity. (PS)

Discusses the experiences of a student at a selective admissions university with a moderately high IQ (119) but who also had a learning disability that impeded his academic success. Uses the case study to examine which students really belong at the university and which are allowed to stay there. (MAB)

An analysis of three decades of data from national samples of entering college freshmen reveals that (a) there are substantial socioeconomic inequities in access to the most selective U.S. colleges and universities and that (b) American higher education is more socioeconomically stratified today than at any time during the past three decades. The…

The controversy over Black admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is described, which has called into question such areas as quotas, special admissions policies, minority recruiting, and the impact on Black universities of increased Black enrollment at White institutions. (LBH)

In 1999, Florida implemented the One Florida Initiative, a plan to end race-conscious decision making in employment, contracting, and higher education. The proposal for higher education was to replace race-conscious admissions with the Talented 20 Program, a policy that in theory would increase access for underrepresented students without…

The way the Dutch system sifts out those permitted to participate in the most prestigious types of education is outlined. The admission policies for higher education are identified and a description of the structural changes in universities enacted by Parliament in January 1981 is provided. (Author/MLW)

Admission to higher education should not be determined by elitist criteria, but curriculum content should be controlled by the educated elite. Argues that admission should not depend on parents wealth or position; university graduates should pay for education themselves, through loan systems; and university graduates must develop an ethos of…