member institutions if that is not a central reason for their
existence. Moreover, when institutions join for funding and
political purposes, the composition of the consortium is likely to
be different from the group that would convene to solve common
educational problems. Hastings College of Law and the California
College of Podiatric Medicine, for example, have different
legitimate interests and educational objectives than some of the
other consortium members.
THE
BENEFITS OF COOPERATING: THE BOSTON MODEL
Boston is the
eighteenth largest city in the United States. It has a population
of about 630,000, one-sixth of whom are black. Among cities with
populations above 500,000, Boston is near the bottom in median
household income. Forty percent of its high school students come
from families receiving public assistance. Boston's current
economic problems are unemployment (about 13 percent),
underemployment, and limited job options caused by the lack of a
major manufacturing presence in the city.
The
college-going rate of graduating high school seniors is 25 percent.
This low rate is attributed by officials of The Boston Six to
limited family income and limited access to low-cost education. In
addition, public schools in Boston, as elsewhere in the nation,
have severe dropout and attendance problems. The high schools
suffer from weak curricula, inadequate performance standards and
counseling services, and low staff morale—caused in part by
the politics and confusions of desegregation.
The private
higher education sector in Boston and the immediate metropolitan
area is enormous. There are two prestigious national-international
institutions (Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of
Technology), several long-established regional-national
institutions, and an array of small private institutions serving
special-interest constituencies. In the city of Boston itself,
there are twentythree private postsecondary institutions.