Since 1980, efforts to strengthen the academic preparation of students for college have been made on national, regional, state, and local levels. Cited as evidence of a problem in academic preparation have been: (1) the decline in students' college admission test scores in language, study, and computing skills over the past 17 years; (2) low minimum competency test results; (3) the high school dropout and unemployment rates; (4) overly diversified curricula lacking integration of instruction from the high school to college level; and (5) increasingly diverse student bodies with a large number of limited English-speaking students. Specific recommendations from nationwide commissions and public hearings center around articulation, collaboration, standardization, and accountability. A variety of collaborative efforts have already been undertaken, including the exchange of academic personnel; assessment of skills, particularly in writing and mathematics; and concurrent enrollment of high school students in college courses. Besides general high school-college collaboration, prematriculation programs have also been designed for specific groups, including talented students and underprepared or unmotivated students. Research in this field has been concerned primarily with the effectiveness of prematriculation programs, the relationship of standardized tests and high school curriculum, or student attitudes and college expectations. (JMC)