Issues pertaining to underprepared students in colleges are addressed in five papers and an annotated bibliography. In "Can Higher Education Be Equal and Excellent Too?" K. Patricia Cross claims that colleges can provide equal access and quality if major changes are made concerning such outmoded practices as faculty-load formulas and credit-hour fundings. Darrel A. Clowes, in "More Than a Definitional Problem," distinguishes between remedial, compensatory, and developmental education. "Quality and the Open-Door Community College," by Robert H. McCabe, considers the need for full college reform and the importance of accommodating individual differences, integrating communications technology, and providing variable-time programs. In "The Miami-Dade Breakthrough," Cross describes an example of curriculum reform, management changes supporting instructional innovation, and faculty role changes. In "Underprepared Students at Public Research Universities," Martin A. Trow suggests that public higher education needs to play a larger role in the preparation of students for college-level work. He discusses the crisis of secondary education and whether college credit should be awarded for basic skills courses. Finally, 30 abstracts of publications are presented in "Underprepared Learners: An ERIC Bibliography." (SW)