Upset because the University of California at Davis did not support her charges of misconduct among scientists, Melinda M. Zaragoza left her career in microbiology to run a general store in Kentucky. Although no wrongdoing was found on the Davis campus, Ms. Zaragoza's whistle-blowing now is being joined by a powerful chorus. Officials of the…

The federal government's recent focus on making institutions prove their academic quality has left community colleges feeling vulnerable, uncertain about how to demonstrate their value to students and worried about losing crucial taxpayer support as their enrollments rise in a sagging economy. This article reports that community-college leaders…

Most of the nation's eighth graders aspire to college. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them will not realize their ambition to complete their higher education and gain some advantage in the job market. In this article, the author contends that the connections between high schools and higher-education institutions are still not what they should…

The Bush administration is likely to call for more accountability and higher accreditation standards for colleges and universities, but many accrediting agencies and institutions of higher education oppose standardized measures, saying they can't evaluate complex institutions objectively. (SLD)

The executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association will ask colleges to consider implementing a system of accreditation for the association members' sports programs, a major departure from past association practice. The move comes among mounting public skepticism about the integrity of big-time college sports. (MSE)

In many of the 40 states where assessment is required by state law or policy, faculty members and administrators have shaped assessment programs so that colleges have the flexibility to use several kinds of measurements, not just tests. Some of the political controversy brought about by assessment requirements are described. (MLW)

The crisis in American education as revealed in the decay in the college course of study and in the role of college faculties in creating and nurturing that decay is discussed. The text of the report of the AAC Project on Redefining the Meaning and Purpose of Baccalaureate Degrees is presented. (MLW)

States are enacting new laws and policies that require colleges and universities to demonstrate efficiency, quality, and sound stewardship of public money. School accountability is regaining prominence in a period of shrinking state budgets and taxpayer concern about rising costs. (MSE)

The text of the report of the National Commission for Excellence in Teacher Education is presented. The commission was guided by two charges: to become informed about teacher education and to recommend to policymakers and college and university leaders ways to improve teacher education. (MLW)