A study of faculties of education in Canadian universities shows that the quality of French teacher training needs improvement and may run the risk of further deterioration. The tremendous student increase in French-as-a-Second-Language programs is already causing a gradual but serious shortage of French teachers. (Author/MSE)

The recent report of the Grant Foundation Commission on Youth and America's Future, "The Forgotten Half," concerning the high school graduates who do not go to college is discussed, focusing on the value society places on a college education. (MSE)

Discusses the impact of the City University of New York's open-admissions policy and its effect on academic quality. It examines the school's changing student demographics over the years and incoming-student quality. It raises the issue of lowering academic standards to meet the educational level of the changing student population. (GLR)

Discusses how cultural differences contribute to overrepresentation of African Americans in special education, examining European American cultural expectations that clash with those of African Americans. Factors contributing to overrepresentation include cultural discontinuity and prejudicial practices among African American students and European…

Focuses on foreign language teaching in higher education in China. Topics include political difficulties resulting from the Cultural Revolution, the return of the first group of foreign teachers to China in 1977, and current foreign language programs. Although foreign language teaching in China is advancing, better teachers and equipment are…

Dramatic shifts in the characteristics and subsequent needs of college-going students are reshaping higher education's learning delivery system. A "generation of variance," wherein nontraditional students of today become the traditional/majority students of tomorrow, soon will dominate the student population of higher education. Discusses…

This study reviews higher education assumptions of traditional net-price theory and an emerging approach considering a set of price and subsidies in enrollment and persistence decisions. Results suggest that within-year persistence decisions made by students from all income groups are more sensitive to tuition charges than to student aid.…

Describes a study of the relationship between student persistence in developmental mathematics programs and age, gender, parents' education, grade point average (GPA), goal commitment, institutional experience, academic integration, placement grades, and student performance. Finds no significant direct effect on persistence by age, gender, GPA, or…

Describes a study of variables associated with student intentions to attend community colleges or other higher education institutions, based on responses to the student profile section of the American College Testing Assessment Program. Indicates that community college students were generally lower achievers than others but had taken more advanced…

A survey of 55 special education doctoral training programs in the United States indicated a continuing need for leadership personnel at the university level. Of particular note were the seemingly lower enrollments at institutions of higher education as well as the growing number of doctoral graduates taking positions outside of higher education.…

Provides an array of statistical data on the Soviet educational system from the Central Party of Soviet Union (CPSU). Topics include enrollment, educational attainment, and information on facilities. Offers this profile as a status report on educational reform as of 1988. Maintains more effort is required to effectively address the problem of…

The success of the mandated school desegregation efforts of the Jefferson County (Kentucky) public schools demonstrates the potential of a countywide interdistrict plan relying largely on coercive desegregation techniques. The example contradicts the common assumption that mandated plans result in significant white enrollment losses. (SLD)

A study investigated key factors used by 344 first-year college students to assess their fit to their university. Applying concepts of cognitive dissonance, the study showed perceptions of student/institution fit to be related to key attribute and aspirational variables. Implications for enrollment management, especially retention, are discussed.…

The authors argue that a recently proposed Minnesota policy for implementing full-cost tuition in selected practitioner master's degree programs in state institutions is counterproductive. The proposed policy is examined as a case study of probable supply and demand effects on student enrollments and institutional vitality. (Author/MSE)

A study of constraints on university faculty productivity in the United States suggests that universities cannot expect major productivity gains without redefining faculty roles in research or teaching. Some economies of scale were found, but they do not necessarily represent increases in value of faculty efforts. (MSE)