As part of a study of access and admission to higher education in Germany and the United States, a German specialist was invited to critique the American system of access to higher education, especially admission testing and open admission. The author's objective is to present selected problems related to objective testing within the framework of…

At Virginia State College, which has an open-admissions policy, entering freshmen who display serious weaknesses in writing are asked to attend a writing laboratory for two hours each week, in addition to attending their regular freshman writing classes. In the laboratory, students write a series of papers dealing with a particular subject.…

It was recognized during the early 1970's that colleges had a responsibility to the communities in which they existed and that more and more people who were not white, middle class, or 18 were demanding a college education. The career Opportunities Program (COP) was involved in getting colleges and universities to make several kinds of changes in…

In order to meet the needs of the heterogeneous student body resulting from an open admissions policy, an audiotutorial system is recommended for the City University of New York. The proposal would combine the efforts of the three distinct units offering instruction on each campus: (1) traditional academic departments, (2) a remedial academic…

Contents of this book, by the Dean for Academic Development at the City University of New York since 1969 and former director of City College's SEEK program, are organized in eight chapters, as follows: (1) The Educational Color Line in America; (2) Make the Cruel Oppressor Tremble!; The Early Search for a Theory of Black Higher Education; (3)…

The need to reexamine the elemental considerations of higher education access policies provides the background of this paper. These considerations are set in a broader social context, and some of the long-term impacts of present trends are identified. An access policy must be determined by first defining the objectives of higher education; twelve…

An experimental program at Sheffield University, Britain, was designed to attract more "minimally qualified" students into the Open University and to test group admission to undergraduate studies. Most of the students would not normally have considered applying to the Open University. Ten of the 11 students passed. (SW)

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

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)

A study explored the impact of academically underprepared students on 14 liberal arts and sciences faculty at two open-admissions universities. Interviews revealed faculty faced widespread, acute problems teaching underprepared students, and they feel isolated, with little colleague or administrator support. Many underwent a confusing, emotionally…

This publication presents findings of a study that examined high schools with competency-based graduation systems. Data were obtained from interviews with officials at 29 schools in 17 states. Many of the schools were members of the Coalition of Essential Schools. Four schools are described in detail: Central Park East in New York City, New York;…

The way that remediation affects the costs and the academic quality of higher education is discussed, and approaches to dealing with these problems are addressed. Recent increases in the number of underprepared students entering college have resulted in a greater need for remedial education to prepare them for college-level work. In addition to…

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…

The types of positions for which black administrators were hired in predominantly white colleges and universities in the late 1960s and the 1970s and the problems they encountered are considered. It is suggested that the threat of more riots by the black community and the federal government's threat to withhold funds from institutions with an…