Comparing past and current policies concerning academic access, developmental education, and learning assistance programs helps to identify emerging trends that may have regional or national impact on the field. As suggested by the futuring model developed by John Naisbitt and others, it is important to observe activities and policies developed in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. For a variety of geographic and demographic reasons, these “leading indicator�? states often are predictive of future trends in a wide variety of areas in American society. The reader is encouraged to be especially observant of events occurring in these states.
The entries on this blog for the next few weeks will focus on a number of reports and publications on policies related to access programs. One of the challenges with this analysis is understanding whether the policies represent a growing trend. Policies can be as different as night and day between states that adjoin one another. While some states have enacted policies that have reduced access, the majority of the time such policies are not approved by the state legislatures. Hopefully the blog entries over the next few weeks will allow you to draw your own conclusions on this controversial area of scholarship.