The point of view is taken that the issues of open admissions and programs for the disadvantaged can only be resolved if careful consideration is given to the desired objectives of the higher educational system: i.e., should we strive for outcomes that are egalitarian, elitist, remedial or what, and to the long-term implications of these various…

Secondary schools have traditionally looked to higher education for guidance and leadership, yet they might do better looking elsewhere. Instead of teaching being considered a plum, it is considered a burden, and outstanding faculty may be lured to an institution with the promise of no undergraduate classes. Colleges base their reputation often on…

Researcher recommends a lottery for admissions and a curricular cafeteria" with an educational menu" because research findings do not support assumptions used to justify traditional practices of college and unicersity admissions and tradiational approaches to curriculum and certification. (Editor)

Advocates an alternative conception of excellence in higher education, one based on how well an institution can develop its students' talents, not on the quality of the entering class's grades and test scores. Such an outlook would increase minority enrollment. (DM)

Efforts to implement affirmative action programs will not be effective until alternatives to the traditional use of standardized tests in admissions, grading, and tracking are considered. These test scores are used in college admissions to predict college grades. Some kind of selective admissions process is needed, but admissions procedures should…

Institutional averages of entering freshman scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) were combined and edited to produce a single institutional measure of selectivity for 2,601 institutions. Correlations were made between scores and 19 institutional attributes. (Editor/LBH)

Criticism of the use of standardized tests in postsecondary education centers on: using test scores as the sole or main criterion for admission; scoring practices used for normative or grading functions rather than for diagnosis; and tracking students into different types of postsecondary institutions. (MH)

National survey file data on college freshmen aspiring to be lawyers were compared to all others in the classes entering college in 1969 and 1981. Students aspiring to be lawyers differed substantially from others in family background, academic preparation, college selectivity, college major, political orientation and interest, and goal…

A comprehensive study on the past gains, present status, and future prospects of blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and American Indians in higher education is examined using data compiled by the Higher Education Research Institute for the Commission on the Higher Education of Minorities. Separate chapters cover the following: (1) the purpose of the…