The public is just beginning to realize that equal education does not mean equal entitlement to the rewards of accomplishment. Everyone should have access to education but also be able to stop at any level, without stigma or loss of dignity. Standards should not be lowered. (MSE)

The effects of tuition costs, financial aid, and individual attributes on college choice are analyzed using a conditional logit model. The results confirm that financial aid can be an important determinant of postsecondary school attendance. (Author/CT)

Discusses the dilemma posed by critics who want public secondary schools to forego specialization, fragmentation, and individualization and institute higher standards, better behavior, a narrower definition of what constitutes an education, and a heavy emphasis on communality. (Author/WD)

A study attempted to identify criteria used to assess faculty development programs in community colleges and to describe the extent to which these colleges believed the evaluation standards were being met. Extensive conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made. The appendix contains the survey questionnaire. (JN)

Black colleges were founded, amid hostility and with few resources, first in the North in the antebellum period, and then in the South in the Reconstruction period. Money has always been a problem. Recently Black colleges have been threatened by trends toward dismantling separate education of Blacks and Whites. (Author/MC)

Contrary to previous research, grading standards did not affect student achievement. The effect of standards on ratings was significant but not consistent for types of ratings (instructor expressiveness, lecture content), instructors, or differences in standards. Under certain conditions, higher grades either adversely affected ratings or had no…

Although competency based education (CBE) offers solutions to some educational problems, it is not a cure-all. Problems with CBE include emphasis on output rather than the instructional process itself, over-reliance on occupational competencies and behavioral objectives, a tendency to lower academic standards, and the difficulty of implementation.…

The improvement of teacher education will require educators to broaden the philosophic base of education, engage in constructive dialogue with critics, establish high standards of competence, and widen the base of educational research and development. (JD)

Believing the worst of times could be the most challenging times for higher education in this era of declining enrollment and low public opinion, the author examines six symptoms (syndromes) plaguing academia. He concludes that higher education can address unmet educational needs and still guard and preserve its intellectual legacy. (KC)

Warns that sound management theory and practice are in danger of becoming isolated from the academic process and care must be taken to include an informed and flexible concept of academic process with managerial skills. Relates management to the meaning of general education, commitment to academic standards, and delineation of institutional…

Presents excerpts from presentations at the Wingspread Center. These presentations argue numerous issues in the minimum competency movement. (IRT)

Accountability in education is a no-nonsense, bottom-line look at school responsibilities, school promises, school programs, school costs and school results. (Author)

Many would-be reformers have become so entranced with educational standards that they fail to recognize accompanying problems, such as optimal generality and subordination levels. There is really no difference between instructional objectives and content standards. Other perils of content standards include inadequate descriptive vigor,…

Considers implications, in light of federal antidiscrimination legislation, of the new academic standards of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on students with learning disabilities wishing to participate in college athletics. Issues include the use of test score cutoffs, a minimum grade-point average, the responsibility of high…

Qualitatively examines evaluators' reports on 51 doctoral dissertations for common themes, findings variations in format, recommendations, and interpretation of recommendations, and importance placed on editorial aspects of the theses. Suggests these evaluators approach the task of reading a dissertation with needs similar to readers of any new…