Impact of Mission Differentiation upon Access Programs

Bastedo, M. N., & Gumport, P. J. (2003). Access to what? Mission differentiation and academic stratification in U.S. public higher education. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 46(3), 341-359. This is one of the most important articles written about access policy in the past several years. Rather than focusing on battles occurring at individual colleges regarding access policies and programs, it describes a national trend that is impacting similar programs across the U.S. People working at colleges that are undergoing significant "mission differentiation" and "strategic reogranization" should pay particular attention to this article.
This article analyzes developmental education policy in Massachusetts and New York to examine recent policy decisions regarding the termination of academic programs, elimination of remedial education, promotion of honors colleges within each state system. A result of these policy decisions has been to increase stratification of programs and students within a public state higher education system as well as with individual institutions within the state system. The authors argue that more intense analysis needs to be conducted before systematic changes are made within education systems to avoid or at least forecast major changes in the stratification of student opportunity to attend postsecondary education.

Opportunity in Decline for Decades Regarding Access

Barton, P. E. (2002). The closing of the education frontier? Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved June 1, 2006, from http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICFRONTIER.pdf Many publications today describe the current or near future decline of opportunity for access to postsecondary education. Barton, on the other hand, argues that the decline has occurred for decades.
The author makes an implicit analogy with a theory that early America was defined by the opportunity presented by Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis of the 'opening of the American west'. The Turner thesis was, "Up to our own day American history has been in a large degree the history of the colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development". Accordingly, America changed when the West was closed and opportunity ended in 1893. Using this concept as a counterpoint, Barton questions whether the frontier of educational opportunity has already closed, and thereby changing American culture. He argues that there is empirical evidence that postsecondary educational opportunity has closed, and therefore changing the nature of American society. Barton's data challenges the conventional wisdom that educational attainment has continued to increase during the last quarter century. He paints a picture of an educational system that is not producing more high school graduates, that continues to display great social inequality, and that is not able to support greater proportions of students through to degree in four-year college programs.

Access policies from national survey of FYE programs

Barefoot, B. O. (2003). Findings from the Second National Survey of First-Year Academic Practices, 2002. Brevard, NC: Policy Center for the First Year of College. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http://www.brevard.edu/fyc/survey2002/findings.htm
These findings are based on a survey results received from 1,000 colleges concerning first-year programs for students. Several of the questions were related to developmental education. While developmental education courses are offered at nearly all two-year institutions, the percentage drops dramatically with public four-year institutions: 80%, baccalaureate general colleges; 40%, baccalaureate liberal arts colleges; 70%, master's I & II; 70%, research intensive; 60%, research extensive. In the past five years the percentage of students taking developmental courses has increased most at public two-year institutions. In general, enrollment has remained even at four-year institutions though there are differences by type. About a third of baccalaureate-general colleges reported increases while an equal percentage reported decreases at research extensive institutions.

Academic access programs and civic responsibility

Astin, A. W. (1998). Remedial education and civic responsibility. National Crosstalk, 6(2), 12-13. Retrieved July 4, 2004, from http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/pdf/ ctsummer98.pdf
Dr. Astin, former director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, argues that remedial education is the most important problem in education today and providing instruction in this area would do more to alleviate more social and economic problems than any other activity. Astin discusses the history and stigma of remedial education and how higher education has become focused on "identifying smart students" rather than "developing smartness" in all its students. Astin argues that it is for the benefit of society that remedial education, affirmative action, and other programs be highly supported and valued.

Transitions in developmental education

Stratton, C. B. (1998). Transitions in developmental education: Interviews with Hunter Boylan and David Arendale. In J. L. Higbee, & Dwinell. Patricia L (Eds.), Developmental education: Preparing successful college students (pp. 25-36). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.
This chapter asks two leaders in developmental education to do some future forecasting. Commenting about the role of DE in the future, Hunter Boylan and David Arendale discuss influences on the profession, requirements for success, and a view of expanded missions to promote the cognitive and affective growth of all students.

Interview with national leaders about college access, Part I

Damashek, R. (1999). Reflections on the future of developmental education, Part I. Journal of Developmental Education, 23(1), 18-20, 22, 35. Current and former leaders of NADE were interviewed about the future.
Interviews were conducted with a number of leaders within developmental education: David Arendale, Hunter Boylan, Kaylene Gebert, Martha Maxwell, Santiago Silva, and Diana Vukovich. Each responded to a common set of questions about the future of developmental education. The interview concludes in part II which was published in the succeeding issue of the JDE.

An interview with Robert McCabe about developmental education

Callan, P. M. (2000, Fall). An interview: Robert McCabe. National Crosstalk, Retrieved July 4, 2004, from: http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct1000/interview1000.shtml Robert McCabe is a national leader in the community college movement.
Robert McCabe, senior fellow with the League for Innovation in the Community College and former president of Miami-Dade Community College is the focus of this interview. Much of the interview revolves around McCabe's newest book, No One to Waste, a national study of community college remedial programs. McCabe employs a variety of arguments for the support and expansion of remedial education.