Access to Higher Education in Germany and California

This study compares patterns of access to higher education in California and Germany between 1970 and 1989. It tracks the relative success of socio-educational groups in Germany as well as ethnic groups in California over time from the secondary education system to college graduation. Detailed longitudinal analysis demonstrates that upward educational mobility in Germany was rather limited despite marked changes in general socio-economic composition, while strong participation shifts occurred in California based on changing ethnic make-up. It is also shown that educational policy-making tools such as affirmative action and need-based funding can exert strong influences on educational participation.

Autorentext

The Author: Dr. Guhr works in Silicon Valley in the high tech industry after having been a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in Germany and San Francisco. Dr. Guhr was educated at Bonn, Harvard, Brandeis and Oxford Universities. He holds a M.A. in political science from Brandeis, and a M.Sc. in research methodology as well as a D.Phil. in comparative education from Oxford. In addition, Dr. Guhr worked as a junior research specialist at the Center of Higher Education at UC Berkeley.

Inhalt
Contents: Comparative higher education access patterns in Germany and California Public policy-making and under-represented social and ethnic groups Higher education systems structure and governance Comparative methodology.