Academic Stratification and Endemic Conflict: Remedial Education Policy at CUNY

This article examines the remedial education policy change at the City University of New York (CUNY) in historical context and from the analytical perspective of system design. The policy to phase out remedial education in the CUNY senior colleges is interpreted as part of a strategy to create "more of a system" by increasing the differentiation of missions and stratification among campuses within the CUNY system. The authors analyze both the immediate context and the system design rationale for the policy change, then discusses future implications for CUNY and for public higher education more broadly.