Labor market conditions, a pervasive public discourse about the benefits of higher education, and parental hopes push many young working-class people into university. The institutional culture and demands of university, however, often remain elusive and fraught with uncertainty. In this paper, I draw on qualitative interviews with…

Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

Every day, 6,000 American high school students drop out of school--bored, frustrated, or so far behind that they've given up. That is the visible crisis in American education, one that has drawn extensive attention from governors, legislators, educators, pundits, and the press. Affecting even greater numbers of students, however, is the invisible…

This issue of "The Progress of Education Reform" will address the following three questions: (1) What are the challenges that developmental education programs face that affect their success? (2) Are developmental education programs an effective strategy for increasing college attainment rates? and (3) How can state policy improve the…

Thirteen chapters address issues concerning college student employment including the impact of student employment, research on student employment, and making student employment more productive. Chapters include: (1) "Encouraging Student Development Through Student Employment" (Arthur W. Chickering and others); (2) "Career…

Issues prominent in higher education in 1996 affecting people of color are reviewed including: legislation, litigation concerning race-based aid and admission; anti-immigrant sentiment; new provost position at Howard University (District of Columbia); major anthology of African American literature; athlete eligibility standards; student aid;…