This book presents concerns and raises questions about the choice programs being proposed and implemented around the United States. It argues that poorly conceived, hastily enacted choice programs may do more harm than good. The demand for educational choice may result in lost opportunities for students (some groups more than others), weakened…

This report presents a second look at the effects of Minnesota's School District Enrollment Options Program, usually referred to as the Open Enrollment Program. This interdistrict enrollment program allows families and students to apply for enrollment in any school district other than the one in which they reside. This document focuses on the…

With state funding, 2 + 2 + 2 articulation programs were developed on 25 California community college campuses to address the need to educate, train, and retain members of underrepresented groups in diverse occupations, to reduce high school dropout rates, and to coordinate the intersegmental transfer process. This handbook offers information and…

The Partnership for Academic and Career Education (PACE), established in 1987, is a consortium bringing together the seven school districts of Anderson, Oconee, and Pickins counties in South Carolina (representing 16 high schools and 4 secondary vocational/career centers); local businesses; and Tri-County Technical College (TCTC). Seeking to…

A survey was conducted of Minnesota families of students with disabilities (n=60) and without disabilities (n=60), and responses were compared to identify practices related to public school choice. Results indicated that the media were the primary source of information for families of general education students, while principals and teachers were…

This study compared students with learning disabilities who participated in open enrollment in Minnesota with their nondisabled peers, in terms of reasons for transfer, source of information about open enrollment, parent involvement with the school, and demographics. The study involved a survey of 59 families of students with learning disabilities…

A study was conducted to identify the curricular factors that contribute to variations in transfer rates. The study used data on community college liberal arts and non-liberal arts course offerings drawn from the Center for the Study of Community Colleges' (CSCC's) National Community College Curriculum Study and data on transfer rates from the…

This report provides information on associate degree and certificate offerings at four two-year institutions in the Oklahoma and Tulsa City metropolitan areas and articulation between baccalaureate degree programs at the University of Central Oklahoma and four metropolitan area two-year institutions. Part I classifies Oklahoma City area…

The proportion of community college students transferring to a four-year institution dropped considerably during the 1970's and early 1980's, a situation leading to accusations that the colleges do not prepare their students sufficiently well for transfer. However, several other factors have an influence on transfer rates. The fact that most…

In 1989, a study was conducted at the University of West Florida (UWF) to explore the success rate of Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree recipients at the college. Although the AS and AAS degrees were originally designed as terminal degrees leading to immediate employment, recipients today are discovering that…

Between 1979 and 1987, there was a 73% increase in the number of students transferring from two-year colleges to universities in Alberta (Canada). Three recent studies investigated this rapid growth. The first study, conducted over a three-year period, explored whether a group of 50 transfer students were sufficiently prepared to succeed…

This paper responds to the Bush Administration's opposition to including private schools in systems of subsidized choice, and argues that parental choice among public and private schools will promote tolerance and remedy social conflict. In view of President Bush's endorsement of the benign effects of competition, his insistence on an all-public…

The role of community colleges (including technical and junior colleges) and the transfer of students to 4-year institutions are discussed. This issue presents three articles. The first article, "Democracy's Colleges," suggests that community colleges are the most successful institutional innovation in 20th century American higher…

The materials in this compilation focus on various aspects of Cuyahoga Community College's (CCC's) Urban Community College Transfer Opportunity Program (UCCTOP) activities. The first report provides on overview of CCC's UCCTOP emphases (i.e., early articulation initiatives and understandings, expansion of curricula linkages with postsecondary…

The Transfer Opportunities Program (TOP) at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has focused primarily on faculty development and curriculum design as the essential elements in improving the transfer prospects of students. Extensive faculty development activities were undertaken to forge collegial agreements about standards of literacy and…