"California has shown discernible progress in widening access to preschool for 4-year-olds," said Karen Manship, principal researcher at AIR and lead author of the study.
While some universities have made good progress in widening access, it is not enough just to get students through the door.
The government intends to pass legislation to give Offa the power to fine universities and colleges that make insufficient progress in widening access, and – in extreme cases – to demand they lower their fees.
Cambridge, Bristol, Exeter, Durham and University College London are among 23 institutions that admit making insufficient progress in widening their mix of applicants in 2009-10 – leading to accusations that the intake of the most selective universities is "increasingly privileged".
Wes Streeting, chief executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, which provides bursaries and mentoring to disadvantaged students, said it was "deeply worrying" that universities had failed to make enough progress in widening participation.
Willetts said: "We need to see real progress in fair access, especially at our most selective institutions". Wes Streeting, chief executive of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, which provides bursaries and mentoring to disadvantaged students, said it was "deeply worrying" that universities had failed to make enough progress in widening participation.
He openly queried: "Why are we still making only limited progress in widening access to higher education to young people from poorer backgrounds?" It seems that Willetts has come to the same, deluded conclusion: schools should not improve their performance, but universities should lower their grades.
Higher education experts are concerned that the switch to a loan, just as universities are announcing plans to raise tuition fees beyond £9,000 a year, will damage progress in widening participation and lumber those who choose to go to university with even greater debt.
Now we want more progress in widening access and improving retention".
Significant public policy changes since the general election risk creating a toxic combination of factors that threaten to set back, or perhaps even reverse, the progress already made in widening participation in higher education.
Chief executive of Universities UK Nicola Dandridge said: "While good progress has been made in widening participation over recent years, there remains work to be done, particularly in relation to access to the most selective institutions and courses.
