Before England's Education Reform Act of 1988, higher education (HE) provision in England's further education (FE) colleges was the responsibility of the local education authorities that owned, controlled, and funded the colleges and polytechnics for advanced and nonadvanced FE. In 1987-1997, HE in FE colleges was commonly considered a residual or ancillary activity, with its presence overshadowed by the rise of polytechnics in the 1980s and its development hindered by the dual arrangements governing its planning, funding, and quality assurance in the 1990s. After the Dearing inquiry into HE, FE colleges were charged with the mission of increasing student numbers, widening participation, and building progression in support of lifelong learning and a diverse system of HE. Analysis of policy documents and other secondary sources confirms that the policy treatment of HE provision in England's FE colleges over the past 15 years has been plagued by the following problems: (1) the slim and disconnected nature of the evidence base to guide contemporary policymaking; (2) the unstable, uncertain, and unfavorable conditions for colleges to deliver growth; and (3) the asymmetries of power and interest expressed in a dual system of tertiary education. A discussion of the statistics used in the analysis is appended. (Contains 95 references.) (MN)