www.slate.com: It’s an article of faith in the school reform community that we should be striving to prepare all students for success in college—if not a four-year degree, then some other recognized and reputable post-secondary credential. The rationale is clear and generally compelling; as a recent Pew study reiterated, people who graduate from college earn significantly more than those who do not. Other research indicates that low-income students in particular benefit from college, becoming nearly three times more likely to make it into the middle class than their peers who earn some (or no) college credits. And it’s not just about money: College graduates are also healthier, more involved in their communities, and happier in their jobs.
13 comments:
Perhaps part of the problem with our current methods of widespread education reform is that education is seen as something that needs to happen prior to beginning a career as opposed to a lifelong endeavor. This Slate article addressed a lot of the conflicted feelings I have about the Common Core and other education reform efforts, but it almost proposed blanket reform the other way, as a "you have college potential" and "you do not," which I don't necessarily agree with. There are many people who are not ready for college at 18 for whatever reason, but are more than capable of excelling at a very rigorous school several years later.
Perhaps, rather than enforcing standards and saying everyone must get to a certain place by a certain age, the attitude could shift to training successful human beings, regardless of how good at reading or math they are. Regardless, I don't think it's appropriate to say that your level of college-readiness at 18 determines your capacity for higher education forever.
I think it is dangerous to start with an attitude of "some kids just won't make it, so we need to find somewhere else to put them." This can too easily exacerbate class divisions and racial problems. However, I think it's really important to provide viable alternatives to college- the world needs skilled workers and many other professions that don't require a college degree, and we can work to make sure that these aren't "dead end" careers but instead provide access to the middle class for people who wouldn't get it otherwise. The point that the article makes about generational change is a good one- if we can get some people just a little bit higher on the ladder, their children have a much greater chance. We would just have to be careful that this doesn't become a system for urban schools to dump kids into the trades and only upper class kids are thought of as having a chance for college.
As the article clearly states, an advanced degree is pretty much requiired, it is just a hand full of people who do well in the world without one. I believe that all students should be pushed to find higher education after high school because after all is said and done a huge problem in America is unemployment and too much unskilled labor. I believe that part of the problem is that people who are advising students about college need to be more educated about trade schools. One to three year programs can help students who could not complete a full four year college plan a chance to succeed.
While I agree with Lindsay and Sarah that the education issues in America go beyond some kids just "not making it" in college, I think this article has very good points. College isn't for everyone. I think the biggest issue our society currently has is a growing attitude that if you do not go to college, you will not succeed. End of story. This attitude is dangerous and will only continue to grow in the coming years if something is not done to stop it. It has become a standard that all kids need to go to college if they wish to succeed, and that is just not true. While college is the right choice for many students, it is not the only choice. In order for a change to be made, widespread education needs to accept that college is not the only road to success.
This article makes an interesting point about the purpose of college and who is right for college. I think college is great and I'm glad I'm here but I also think in modern society its used way too much as a benchmark for success. I was just at a workshop with higher up people from cirque du soleil, many of whom didnt go to or finish college. It took them many long years of work and dedication to get to the point where they are in their careers, but they didnt actually end up needing college. On the other side, I know plenty of people who got 4 year liberal arts degrees from college, got into a lot of debt because of it, and still have no job.
I agree with Sarah in that the approach of schools deciding who should or should not go to college is iffy in this article. This can easily be defined by your zip code or color of your skin. However, I agree with the article that college shouldn't be something that people use to show how successful you are. I know a few students wasting money on remedials at a community college to get a degree in order to do things that can be achieved without (such as a film director or car mechanic). If students feel they can thrive in college they should go. If students feel they can work hard and make it to where they want to be without college, it shouldn't be frowned upon. That being said, grade school should be reformed so that students can figure out where they want to be in life.
I think this is an interesting article, and the discussion it brings up is one that has been around for quite some years now. I believe that it is always good to strive for something more, for some people that might mean higher education, for some a type of trade school, and for others maybe straight into a career. I don't think it's right to push people into a path and to then tell them that its the only way that they will be successful, for there are other methods to success and other definitions of it. People should be encouraged to follow their passions and find success in them.
I could not agree more with what Nick said. It has always been my belief that young people should not be forced into any one track in their lives. Higher education is certainly beneficial for some people but simply not the right thing for others. I also think that our current system of teaching students core concepts such as math, writing, history, etc. alone is completely flawed. Students should have a wide variety of subjects to try out in high school. This way students can find out what interests them and structure their education around it. I know at my high school there were many students who just simply did not care about school because nothing about it interested them. Quite frankly why should we blame them? Basic core concepts are boring for most young people therefore motivation to succeed dies resulting in failure. I think that the college is very successful because it allows students to choose a major best for them and provides them with the necessary skills. So why not start out this way much earlier on in the high school level?
I'm really glad that people are beginning to acknowledge that not everyone needs to go to college to be successful. I would argue that many people would be better off without going to college and ending up in debt. However, the article itself doesn't really go about stating the argument in the best manner. It comes off as quite rude and could be revised to be better received.
This article brings up some good points that I have discussed with others before. I am in the group of people that feel we shouldn't force people to do thing or make them go places they don't want to go, especially if they don't seem ready at the moment. They can alway be ready later on in life and if we can give them skills to give them an advantage over some others, then why don't we? That being said, if it obvious a student is smart and ready, but just being lazy, they should be pushed a little bit to get off their butt. Is it really failure if we don't at least try to send people to college? No, it really should depend on each student and situation.
It's weird, ever since I was in 6th grade, I wanted to go to college. Once I got to college, I wasn't thrilled. Last year I had a crisis because for the longest time I wanted to be an architect and then all of a sudden, I hated architecture. Sometimes I have trouble coping with college. I don't really like it that much. Not the school I am in or the anything, I just never really liked school. Something always just felt wrong/off about it. I want to be here and I want to have the skills and experience that I will get from being here but sometimes the actual physical being of being here feels wrong. I remember throughout high school, I had friends who were pressured into applying to schools. They didn't have time to think about what they were doing. One of my friends applied to 34 colleges because they were afraid that they would be a disappointment if they didn't go somewhere. It's a weird situation.
Here's where I tie everything together. At the age of 17 or 18, it's really hard to KNOW what you want to do. Going to college, you kind of need to know because you won't be able to graduate if you don't have a major. I know so many people that are changing their profession now and they're all in their 30s or something. I think college is a great place to get experience and to get the skills that you need (and the degree!) but sometimes you don't know what it is you need to do just yet when you're fresh out of high school. I also think that not everyone needs college. Some people make it without ever going to school. It's really up to the person. I think different people need a different amount of time to know what they want to do and whether or not higher education is right for them.
I guess it's a fine line between providing different options post high school graduation and forcing students from different economic classes into different "tracks." That being said, it seems like Germany's apprenticeship program most clearly hits the mark in terms of compromising between going to college and going to trade school. Perhaps a system similar to that in the US would be valuable.
As an aside, I find it interesting that many college programs, especially here at CMU, stress learning technical skills for various fields, not altogether that far fetched from trade school.
College isn't for everyone. College is very challenging time and is a time for a ton of self-discovery. In some ways I feel that I have learned more about myself in my time so far at CMU than anything else. However, an educational setting can't accomplish this for everyone for many of reasons. What I feel is important is that as long as everyone is happy and successful on their own terms than that is all that we can ask for.
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