American society and culture is seen as being in an educational reform movement. Fresh ideas, renewed commitment to educational standards, rising expectations for teacher competence and student performance, impatience with trendy innovations and flabby practices, and a faith in the importance of high quality education are discussed. (MLW)

In a reaction to an article by Chester E. Finn, Jr., it is contended that federal dollars have provided the essential margin that makes for quality and gives institutions more independence. Loss of federal dollars would not be taken up by the states or the private sector. (MLW)

Recent books presenting the neoconservative criticism of higher education are reviewed including books by Allan Bloom, Charles Sykes, Jacques Barzun, Peter Shaw, Roger Kimball, and Thomas Short. Common assumptions include the worsening of American education resulting from warped curriculum reform and distorted performance standards. Agreement with…

Courts are setting dangerous precedents when, in the interest of civil rights, they rule that academic standards are unconstitutional. The intellectual community must make the consequences of such decisions clear. (Editor/LBH)

In critical times, it is suggested, anything that profoundly affects the basic mission and the ultimate survival of a college or university is a legitimate concern of trustees. The triple crisis facing higher education is identified: funding, quality control, and definition of purpose. (MLW)

Discusses the mounting pressures higher education faces in finding new ways to assess high school students' fitness for college, describing four problems that state are encountering (economic conditions, high attrition levels, changing high school exit requirements, and the changing face of schools) and explaining states' responses to these…

The chancellor of the California community college system has begun a controversial effort to achieve higher academic standards through governance reform. (MSE)