The social and economic inequities in America's K-12 education system are well known, what with a rapidly expanding system of expensive private schools and the striking contrasts between urban and suburban public schools. America's higher education system, on the other hand, is generally regarded as far more equitable, given that each of the fifty…

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…

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…

It is possible to argue that higher education in the United States has evolved into a highly refined institutional-status hierarchy. Examines this hierarchy in both the private and public school systems with particular attention to the kinds of students attending these institutions. (Author/RK)

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)