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…

In this retrospective account of their scholarly work over the past 45 years, Alexander and Helen Astin show how the struggle to achieve greater equity in American higher education is intimately connected to issues of character development, leadership, civic responsibility, and spirituality. While shedding some light on a variety of questions…

Discusses the fact that American higher education is an elitist system based on hierarchical selective admissions. (MLH)

It is argued that equal education and excellence are not mutually incompatible, but that by embracing new and more valid conceptions of excellence, both can be achieved. Two approaches to assessing institutional quality are compared: reputational, based on consensus of opinion, and resource, based on quantitative measures. (MSE)

Describes and critiques the four traditional conceptions of educational excellence (reputational, resources, outcomes, and content views); explains and defends the talent development approach, and presents a conception of educational equity. (Author/LHW)

Using nationally representative data, this study analyzes the relative influence of social background and academic ability in determining the quality of the college attended. The results indicate that college quality, as measured by selectivity and affluence, is significantly related to social class, with this relationship mediated primarily by…

An analysis of three decades of data from national samples of entering college freshmen reveals that (a) there are substantial socioeconomic inequities in access to the most selective U.S. colleges and universities and that (b) American higher education is more socioeconomically stratified today than at any time during the past three decades. The…

Portions of Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effects of Family and Schooling in America (Jencks et al 1972) are reviewed. For related articles see TM 501 196-200. (MLP)

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…

The "value-added" conception of excellence in education, unlike any traditional view, focuses on the ability of a school or college to affect its students favorably and equitably. It focuses on changes in the student from the beginning to the end of the educational program. The "value-added" approach would involve the testing…

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)

Trends in the characteristics of students who go directly on to college after completing high school have been surveyed for the past l6 years. Findings on significant trends are cited and analyzed: (1) Students are less well prepared academically than entering students of 10 or 15 years ago. (2) Declining academic skill levels are reflected in the…