Why push students down educational paths that will likely result in them dropping out? We should give everybody options that will help them succeed.
Posted on 03/19/2014 1:11:03 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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.
Thus, in the reformers’ bible, the greatest sin is to look a student in the eye and say, “Kid, I’m sorry, but you’re just not college material.”
But what if such a cautionary sermon is exactly what some teenagers need? What if encouraging students to take a shot at the college track—despite very long odds of crossing its finish line—does them more harm than good? What if our own hyper-credentialed life experiences and ideologies are blinding us to alternative pathways to the middle class? Including some that might be a lot more viable for a great many young people? What if we should be following the lead of countries like Germany, where “tracking” isn’t a dirty word but a common-sense way to prepare teenagers for respected, well-paid work?
Here’s a stark fact: According to research by Georgetown’s Anthony Carnevale and Jeff Strohl, less than 10 percent of poor children now graduate with a four-year college degree.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
If he was “College Material”, he might wear safety goggles while operating the saw.
Another cause and effect mistake
The smartest kids graduate from college and then go on to earn more money... but going to college didn’t make them smart, they were smart to begin with and would have been more likely to earn more anyway.
Anyone who believes that sending a retarded kid to college will somehow magically transform him into someone smart who will earn more is a sucker who is going to end up with a lots of loans to pay back and nothing to show for it.
There are lots of jobs that earn good money that dont require much college if any. You just have to be willing to get a little dirty, sweat, or travel.
“Thus, in the reformers’ bible, the greatest sin is to look a student in the eye and say, “Kid, I’m sorry, but you’re just not college material.””
No, the biggest sin is telling a kid he cannot go to college because his spot was given to an affirmative action candidate. A not will the kid make less money, but his opportunity was taken away from him by someone who otherwise would be told, kid, you are just not college material.
Yep. The reality is that we have an oversupply of majors in puppetry qualified for a career at Occupy Wall Street. Coupled with a vast shortage of kids with skills in HVAC, refrigeration and a host of other immediately marketable skills.
Modern colleges are largely not college material.
Heaven forbid!!! Telling a student that he’s not cut out for college will damage his self-esteem which will traumatize him forever. (Do I really need a /sarcasm tag here?)
I think every high school graduate should go on to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Is it because they were money poor or intellectually poor? I believe that high schools teach the same material to the money rich and the money poor. Colleges should loan good students the necessary money and teach them well or they won't get their money back.
As if “College Material” is better material than anyone else.
“I think every high school graduate should go on to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic.”
Bingo. Most public schools suck so badly that students who could be prepared for college, aren’t.
-PJ
First thing I notice too. But it looks like he does need more edumakation - he hasn’t learned to turn the thing on either. (BTW - I have a staged photo of me in my old high school yearbook pretending to do a sports action shot. How stupid - I looked like a dork! And my kids say I still do!)
Exactly!
A kid should simply be told the stats for students with his test scores and grades—and be introduced to the community college system if his success is questionable.
Mike hosted "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel, and he's a big booster of vocational education. He's set up a foundation to help people get on that path, and make plenty of money at it. There are a lot of jobs in the trades available, and employers are having trouble filling them.
Ba-dum-bum! A stark and tragic truth to your words. The public schools only have twelve years to teach the youngin’s something they can use to find a job.
My oldest son thought I was going to foot his bill for college. He didn't like it when I told him his performance in HS was not worthy of a 4 year college. I suggested he go to community college for two years, get his AA, and then we'd talk again.
The need for that conversation never arose, as he never got his AA. He's doing fine, though, moving up the ladder at the TSA, and doing a good job for them.
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