It is suggested that bias--when associated with a predictor, a test, or a statistical estimator--is not always bad, in spite of the immediate negative response evoked by the word, bias. Four settings are described to illustrate situations in which a procedure should not be summarily rejected due to bias: (1) educational researchers rejected the…

Issues in selective admissions in Australia and especially in Victoria are reviewed. Administrative and policy issues are analyzed and some of the consequences of an imbalance between supply and demand are addressed. (MLW)

The Japanese high school entrance examinations were examined in detail for social studies, mathematics, and science test items. Most items measured knowledge and comprehension rather than synthesis, analysis, or scientific thinking. Implications for middle school instruction were discussed. (GDC)

This brief explores the pros and cons of three alternative approaches to college admissions policies: race-based preferences, which are backed by most Democrats; class-rank plans (admitting the top students in each high school), which is backed by the Bush administration; and economic affirmative action for the disadvantaged of all races, which…

Compares effects of three grade-six late immersion programs in British Columbia which differed in amount of instructional time in French (90 percent vs 60 percent), previous student French background, and use of selection criteria. Significant differences occurred in attitudes, but not in French comprehension, English achievement, mathematics,…

Describes the career success of 96 former doctoral students in educational administration and measures their relationship to conventional academic and individual variables such as test scores, career experience, age, sex, and quality of reference. No practical or significant relationships were found between measures of academic success and career…

Bakke's equal protection holding is analyzed and an assessment is offered of what the decisions mean for academic special admissions programs. Discussion focuses on how race may be used as a factor in admissions decisions consistently with the equal protection clause of the Federal Constitution. (Author/MSE)

Employers who hoped the Bakke decision would offer guidance on affirmative action programs have found that the conflict between antidiscrimination laws and affirmative action programs in employment remains largely unresolved. The Supreme Court's opinions in that case are analyzed and the questions answered and issues ignored are discussed.…

Sixteen premedical students from underrepresented minority groups participated in a six-week, six-course program at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (Illinois). Academic performance before and during program participation was compared for students subsequently offered or denied admission. Accepted and denied students could be…

To comply with the district desegregation plan, the San Francisco Unified School District previously required higher scores for Chinese American applicants to its academic magnet high school than for more underrepresented groups. Examines the admissions debate, suggesting that exclusion of Asian and Latino concerns in district policymaking led to…

Questions whether the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities are admitting large numbers of black students who are not capable of competing with their white classmates and if admission double standards are doing more harm than good. The article is followed by editorial comments addressing the author's position on mismatching. (GR)

An examination of higher education in India focuses on the complexities of the sociocultural context in which it operates. Public policy concerning equity for specific social groups, including women, racial minorities, castes, and tribes, is discussed and difficulties in bridging the gap between policy and practice are noted. (MSE)

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) was established to develop technically informed leadership within the Indian community by significantly and quickly increasing the number of American Indian scientists and engineers, ensuring professional growth, and developing Indian leaders through precollege culturally sensitive camps,…

In this article, I examine the adequacy of a Catholic school district's written documents dealing with the inclusion of non-Catholic students. I first describe, in communitarian terms, the nature of a Catholic school community; then I use a contractarian analysis of the school district's written inclusionary policy to better understand its…

The paper examines the effect of a shock to university funding on tuition net of financial aid, admissions selectivity, and enrollment levels chosen by an optimizing university. Whereas a positive shock, such as a major donation, results in lower net tuition and greater selectivity with respect to all students, its effect on enrollment may not be…