This study examined the student characteristics of Athabasca University (AU), Alberta, Canada, a distance and open university, and asked whether AU serves the student clientele that its mission proposes and to what the AU graduates attribute success. Established to make it possible for people to earn a university education regardless of where they…

This conference paper consists of a sketch of the British Open University at work as well as a brief commentary on current developments in the fields of communication technology, course design, instruction, and current trends in distance education. Provided first are statistics pertaining to current enrollment and enrollment projections, student…

The College of New Rochelle's School of New Resources is described including: adult participation in decision making (selection and development of courses, faculty recruitment, and courses and programs evaluation), and descriptions of extension centers and campuses (AFSCME-AFL/CIO, Co-op City, South Bronx, New York Theological Seminary, and…

The Bachelor of Science (nursing) degree offered by the New York External Degree Program of the University of the State of New York is described. The degree program is designed to enable individuals to earn a college degree by using college courses, proficiency examinations, and/or special assessment. It provides a program of assessment rather…

University education should be more widely available to people who are older and less traditionally qualified than the matriculated, predominantly middle-class students of most universities. Two institutions with open admissions policies, the British Open University and the University of Paris Vincennes, are discussed. (MLW)

This paper addresses the characteristics of alternative secondary education programs in Minnesota for students with special needs or considered to be "at risk." It examines various alternative school options including Area Learning Centers (which provide personalized year round, day and evening programs for learners aged 12 through…

An analysis of the literature dealing with the responsiveness of public institutions to their clientele constitutes the main body of this interim project report. The analysts adopted Dahl and Lindblom's classification of political decision-making processes for summarizing the range of governing systems possible in public education. These four…

School choice, as one avenue toward educational reform, must be placed in context, according to this brief policy analysis. Prepared mainly for policymakers in California and stressing implications for public education in California, the report briefly discusses five samples of school choice: (1) magnet schools; (2) charter schools; (3) open…

This paper synthesizes 5 years of research examining three Minnesota school choice options for students with disabilities: (1) open enrollment; (2) High School Graduation Incentives (a second chance option for at-risk students); and (3) Postsecondary Enrollment Options Program (which allows 11th and 12th graders to enroll in college courses for…

Developed by the total staff at Vocational Village (Portland, Oregon), this handbook presents the following: (1) information about Vocational Village, a unique alternative high school which offers a program dedicated to helping economically and educationally disadvantaged youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one become independent,…

The British Open University (OU) offers university degree programs to adults who are employed and study at home. It does so through a nationwide universal access (open admission) policy. A key feature of this program is that it imposes traditional university standards of excellence. Access is not limited by formal entry requirements, geography,…

Three essays are collected in this study of access to higher education in other countries: "Part-Time Undergraduate Studies in Ontario," by Robert M. Pike; "Access to Higher Education in England and Wales," by Naomi E. S. McIntosh; and "Strategies for a Broader Enrollment in Swedish Higher Education," by Urban…

There are parents and students who are to be won or lost depending on which sector--public or private--answers their calls for programs to match their learning styles and desire for rigor, vitality, and variety. This report examines where choice has evolved from, what it offers parents and students, and how its disappearance could affect this…

Perspectives on adult students at the College of New Rochelle are offered in response to Howard R. Bowen's address entitled, "Adult Learning, Higher Education, and the Economics of Unused Capacity." The College of New Rochelle suggests a modest modification of Bowen's thesis that there should be efforts toward full integration of…

School year 1987-88 marked the mid-point of the seven-year desegregation settlement for the Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools. This report presents data from a review of progress that was provided for in the Bronson Settlement Agreement, answers plaintiff questions, and addresses district concerns. The following subjects are discussed: (1) progress…