The University of Toledo (Ohio) honors program, with a dedicated space for honors, a separate interdisciplinary curriculum, and the opportunity to do research, assists this open admissions institution to attract and retain academically talented students. A dramatic increase in honors enrollments in the last decade has provided both opportunities…

As interest in expanding the number of high quality charter schools available to parents and students has grown, policy makers have increased their focus on identifying and providing support to new charter programs that have the potential to improve student outcomes and satisfy parent and student needs. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education…

This book is intended to be both a biography of an extraordinary woman and a historical account of events leading to Open Admissions within the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1970, wherein every graduate of a New York City high school was guaranteed a place within the CUNY system. The book profiles Mina Shaugnessy, who devoted her…

In the spring of 1991 a two-part questionnaire was mailed to a nationwide sample of 100 uppersecondary teachers in England. Usable responses were received from 72 teachers. The purposes of this study were the following: (1) to describe the impact of the 1988 British Reform Act on Education; (2) to determine teacher perceptions in selected publicly…

This report completes phase 1 of a study of the school choice issue, by summarizing information regarding school choice options currently proposed or implemented in Virginia and other states. Methodology involved: (1) a survey of 127 out of 135 total school divisions; (2) a literature review; (3) interviews with school division personnel, other…

This report, compiled by the settlement facilitator, documents progress for year six of the 7-year Bronson Agreement. The agreement was entered into to settle the litigation entitled Mona Bronson, et al. vs. Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati. Its major goals were the following: (1) continuing to reduce racial isolation of students in…

The consideration of school choice plans raises policy questions for school administrators. This paper addresses pragmatic concerns about definitions and policy questions related to educational finance. Interdistrict choice, emphasizing families' right to choose among existing public schools, raises questions regarding transportation and…

A Coordinator of Performing Arts at Western Piedmont Community College in North Carolina describes the challenges and rewards posed by an open-door educational philosophy in which community service is as important as artistic excellence. The college's mission is to serve the special needs of the community, which primarily consists of state…

A comparison of the reading skills assessment programs at three community colleges in Virginia and New Jersey is presented as part of an examination of the kinds of placement decisions that are made from assessment test data. Introductory comments focus on the controversy surrounding the growing emphasis on skills assessment in open-door community…

The founders of General College, at the University of Minnesota, established the school in 1932 out of a belief in democratic access to higher education, the need to simplify the academic bureaucracy, and the desire for a liberalized curriculum. During its first 13 years, the college assumed and maintained three basic priorities: open admissions,…

A situation has existed in the specialized high schools of New York City in which criteria for admission (the admissions test and the summer program) have been applied without any systematic determination of their validity: data from the present study suggest a more rational educational approach. (Author/JM)

A project was undertaken in 1970-76 whose principal purpose was to study the prospects of two-way communication between an administrative authority (the office of the chancellor of the Swedish universities) and the general public (prospective students in the national plan for wider admissions). It grew out of criticism of a proposed national…

In 1973 The Board of Regents of The University of Wisconsin system created the Guest Student Program. In effect, the program opened the doors of the University to all Wisconsin residents aged 62 and over. There were 52 men and 47 women in the final sample, with a mean age of 74.89. The following types of interventions were initiated to aid Guest…

Goals of learning institutions in impairing knowledge and skills are analyzed. Role of the teacher is evaluated in relation to the articulatory goal. Teacher's productivity is considered in relation to a behavioral definition of learning. Six recommendations are made for facilitating the improvement of students' performance. (Author)

This document studies academic trends in terms of credits earned, grade-point average, and the ratio of credits earned to credits attempted. Data on which the study is based were collected for freshmen who entered in 1970 and 1971. For the 1970 freshmen, academic outcomes were described over the course of the first four semesters. For the 1971…