Affirmative action has become symbolic of the public policy debate about equity, race, ethnicity, and gender. Proponents of affirmative action need to address the issues of (1) demonstrable qualification for employment; (2) entitlement to fulfilled expectations; (3) interference of affirmative action with legitimate right to educational/employment…

Opportunity in this country is more and more a function of education. Education matters. Headlines tell the story. On average, the individual with an associate's degree will earn 20-to-30 percent more than the worker who only has a high school diploma. The worker with a bachelor's degree will earn 40 percent more than the high school graduate. The…

The concept underlying affirmative action emerged in 1941, but resistance to it persists. Equity management is a form of leadership committed to diversity as a strength, not a weakness. Federal policy has led in this approach, and historically black colleges provide models. Higher education must now forge effective policies and practices. (MSE)

A recent court ruling that the proportion of intercollegiate athletes who are women must equal the proportion of undergraduates who are women is criticized on the grounds that it may compel colleges and universities to distort resource allocations for college athletics and thereby overvalue them. It is argued that such a change would serve no one…

The Reagan revolution is making profound changes in the basic assumptions that have undergirded American educational and social policy. The time has come to form a new national consensus whose unifying idea is educational quality. The declining quality of teachers poses the gravest threat to the quality of education. (MLW)

Issues of equal educational opportunity are seen to be transformed into issues of effectiveness, efficiency, or cultural pluralism. It is suggested that issues of equal educational opportunity are likely to be resolved only by reducing the capacity of the educational system itself to determine the future and the value of individuals. (MLW)

Black progress is tied to the overriding national concern for economic development and the challenge of international competition. The experience of black colleges shows that unequally prepared students can be educated to high levels of performance. Some public policy initiatives are suggested. (MLW)

A discussion of public policy and access to higher education in the United States surveys the federal role in higher education since the 1960s through legislation and litigation, focusing on access for poor and/or minority students. Suggestions are made for action by the Clinton administration to address the current challenge. (MSE)

The national politics of American education have clustered around four major issues: the federal effort on behalf of minorities, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups; the national politics of private and religious schools; the quality of schooling as a concern of the federal government; and educational strategies for the government. (MLW)

The liberal consensus that has shaped national education policy is seen as succumbing to dubious ideas and undesirable practices. Issues discussed include: educational equity, equality and quality; measures of educational achievement; accountability; "need" and ability; statism and monoply, pluralism and diversity; federal role; and…

There is an implicit general plan currently uniting federal and state financing policies, however, it is inefficient, inequitable, and ineffective, involving obsolete state financing policies and mistaken federal responses. Implementation of another plan available would require federal intervention in state financing policies. (MLW)