Over the last 50 years, certain ideas have become dominant that make learning to read different than it once was than the ideas that children are neurologically "wired" to use language "competently" in certain ways. Noam Chomsky has promoted the idea that there are certain "syntactic structures" hard-wired in the human brain. That view, the author…

In a new approach to college readiness, San Diego State University now accepts all students from a large local school system as long as they complete a rigorous curriculum. Under a partnership formed eight years ago, the university has guaranteed a spot in its freshman class to all Sweetwater Union High School District students who complete…

Community colleges in all areas of the country offer students opportunities for postsecondary education that they might not otherwise have. The nearly 600 community colleges that serve rural communities play a special role in providing access, one that the author believes deserves greater understanding and recognition. He shares some of what he…

This article focuses on the coordinated effort of governors, business leaders and education leaders to prepare students for college. Governors from 45 states, corporate executives, policy experts, leaders from both secondary and higher education, and representatives from a wide range of philanthropic and other nonprofit organizations have all…

The 3-mile neighborhood along the boulevard from San Diego State University to the City Heights is one of San Diego's most diverse, with more than 30 languages spoken among its 72,000 residents. It has also developed a reputation as one of the city's most impoverished and crime-ridden. More than a decade ago, as part of an effort to transform City…

Describes a charter school for middle grade students developed and administered by the University of California, San Diego. Notes the increasing interest nationwide of various institutions of higher education in the development of charter schools. How UCSD has met objections such as the possibility of the charter school siphoning off university…

Describes how educators on both sides of the admissions process are devising ways to motivate high school seniors after they have been accepted by colleges. (EV)

In the five years that Boston University (Massachusetts) has administered the Chelsea School System, many positive changes have occurred. The university sees the program as a model for revitalizing deteriorating urban schools and calls on faculty and students from most divisions to help. Critics feel the effort is insufficient. (MSE)

The annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is discussed. Collaboration among and within universities, schools, teacher organizations, and public agencies are seen as the key to educational reform. The goal is the improvement of some aspect of teacher education, research, or schooling. (MLW)

The movement to create "academic alliances" of high-school and college teachers is discussed. The alliances owe much of their strength to the increased sense of self-esteem and the pleasure that members find in the company of disciplinary colleagues. A directory of some alliances is included. (MLW)

Collaboration between schools and colleges, one of the most popular aspects of educational reform in recent years, now seems seriously threatened by inadequate funds, uncertain goals, and lack of broad participation by college teachers. Advocates of collaboration fear that their efforts could become just another idea that didn't work. (MSE)

An interdisciplinary science program Boston University has begun with the Chelsea public schools is the first part of a 10-year plan by the university to take over management of the city's schools and reform them, the first time a private university has administered a public school system. (MSE)

Many colleges and universities are making their Internet computer links available to elementary and secondary schools, often free of charge. However, the assistance is still limited, and more teacher training, technical assistance, and appropriate equipment are needed. Examples in Florida, Virginia, Texas, and Illinois are offered. (MSE)

Reports on efforts at California State University to limit remedial instruction through such measures as requiring students to complete all remedial work before their sophomore year and working with high schools to align placement testing and high school curricula. Critics suggest students are being punished for attending high schools that failed…

The following cooperative programs, cited in the Carnegie Foundation's report on American secondary education, have been undertaken by colleges and universities: (1) Johns Hopkins University, through its Center for the Advancement of Academically Talented Youth, offers gifted students the opportunity to take university courses; (2) Kenyon…