There is a need for a common educational core to satisfy the requirements for reproducing a democratic society. Although historically the common schools were couched in the rhetoric of a common educational experience, democratic localism tended to undermine the commonality through a large number of antidemocratic practices. However, recent decades…

Explores problems faced by the community junior college, including inflation, rising enrollments, expanding services, and open admissions; transfer policies from secondary and to university levels; faculty qualifications; management and accountability. Major trends are increased nontraditional students, alternate educational forms, decreased…

Makes a case for United States community college baccalaureate degrees by focusing on the Canadian college and university system, which allows its community colleges to grant baccalaureate degrees. Argues that more students will earn bachelors degrees at lower costs to both students and taxpayers without disrupting the community college mission.…

This study examined the extent to which students with disabilities are accessing alternative schools and Area Learning Centers (ALC) in Minnesota. Also of interest was the option used by students to enroll in the school, the extent to which students crossed district boundaries to attend the school, and differential participation by category of…

As part of a study of selected developing colleges and universities funded under the Advanced Institutional Development Program, this report reviews Valencia Community College (VCC) in Orlando, Florida, according to its state-of-development, structural history, administrative structure, and management system and effectiveness. Within this…

Originating in the Rand Corporation's evaluation of the voucher demonstration project in the Alum Rock Union School District (California), this study of family choice in schooling focuses on these questions: Are parents motivated and competent to make intelligent choices among competing educational alternatives? What kinds of schools do parents…

This book should be of special interest to community college planners and administrators. It tells them what options are viable in the planning process, and what results to expect from their choices. It provides the philosophical framework for integrating academic, fiscal, and facility planning into campus master planning, and it examines the…

The movement from exclusive and elitist educational systems to systems catering to the masses is a recent and global phenomenon. The United States leads the world in its commitment to formal education for the masses; however, this movement from class to mass education has exposed and cut deeply into some of the most basic unresolved problems of…

Open entry/open exit refers to formats and procedures which allow learners to enter a program whenever they are ready and available, and allows them to leave or complete programs when competencies for job entry are attained. This study sought to provide base data on the concept of open entry/open exit by surveying involved individuals and to…

Proceedings of the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers which relate to nontraditional programs, including programs for special categories of students, are summarized. Names and institutions of conference participants are included. (MSE)

Measures to improve parent and student choice of school have recently become an important issue for educational reform in a number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This book summarizes the school-choice experiences of selected OECD countries. The data, collected by the OECD/Centre for Educational Research…

A regional program of pre-university courses in northwestern England open to adults with no entry qualifications is discussed. It uses some distance learning techniques but is investigating expansion to technical education through distance learning. The complexities and potential costs of such a substantial directional change are examined. (MSE)

This report examines the issue of educational choice in detail, beginning with a historical review and concluding with a look at the future of choice in the United States. Focusing on both opposing and supporting sides of the debate, this report examines equity issues, including access to information, adequate and appropriate transportation, fair…

Information on establishing and running a free university is presented in this handbook. A free university is defined as an organization offering ungraded, unaccredited classes, activities and programs to the general public. Information on starting the free university includes: how to determine the needs of your community; deciding on a name and…

The Open University Younger Student Pilot Scheme, a five-year research project is discussed. Project objectives included: testing the suitability of students in the 18 to 20 year age group, developing predictive indices of success and failure, and assessing the level and nature of the demand for places. (Author/MLW)