Posted on 08/12/2013 12:13:52 PM PDT by Larry381
If you’re graduating from college this year, count yourself lucky.
Just 56 percent of college students complete four-year degrees within six years, according to a 2011 Harvard Graduate School of Education study. Among the 18 developed countries in the OECD, the U.S. was dead last for the percentage of students who completed college once they started it ― even behind Slovakia.
College dropouts tend to be male, and give reasons such as cost, not feeling prepared, and not being able to juggle family, school and jobs, according to the Harvard study. An American Institutes for Research report last year estimated that college dropouts cost the nation $4.5 billion in lost earnings and taxes.
A number of four-year public universities, funded in part by taxpayer dollars, have graduation rates that are just as bad ― or worse ― as their for-profit counterparts.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefiscaltimes.com ...
They don’t teach cursive anymore. When was the last time you received anything in cursive? I learned in the 3rd grade but now 3rd graders are using I-pads and smart phones. Better to learn what is used than some dead language like Latin, well that’s a different story.
The reason we rank so low among the 18 countries is that most of those other countries recognize that college isn’t for everyone. They also recognize the value of learning a skill or trade best learned in trade school. In Germany, for example, the kids who are best suited for college are taking college prep classes in high school, while the ones who will make fantastic welders are being introduced to their arc welders.
They get a much better and more balanced work force as a result.
There are some things in life that just aren’t for everyone.
Many who go to college have neither the academic preparation nor the desire to complete a degree. We need more vocational training for students who should not be in college. We need to make such training more acceptable in the eyes of the public. For example, publicizing the fact that AC repair makes more than a Barista at Star Bucks could be a good start. In Texas, CDLs are making $80,000 hauling petroleum/NG gas products. That sure beats the expected income of most psychology majors who end up making about $30,000 - $40,000/year if they can find a job.
Six packs, freshman mixer is coming
We’re finally on our own!
All winter our grades were stumbling
Four flunked in O-hi-o
Four flunked in O-hi-o
(-how many more?-)
Four flunked in O-hi-o......
How do they get an average 715 SAT???? I thought takers scored 200 points on each section for filling out their names. (ie. a 600 score to start with.)
Four in OH, two each in DC, LA, and OK! Hmm.
LOL...good one.
Excellent points all, and of course Dr Sowell’s insights are always welcome.
Graduation rates of 4% to 16%? That’s hard to believe no matter the circumstances. I wonder if some of the non-graduates calculated these statistics.
Nope, once a student hits 24 credit hours, they count in your statistics whether or not they transfer out. Once a student has 24 hours and transfers to you, they don’t count in your statistics.
There are a whole lot of reasons, one being ill-equipped not just academically but on life decisions in general.
My daughter loves Latin! She has terrible speech problems and sime auditory problems, , and I was very worried about her being able to pass a foreign language. I wantec her to take sign language. Well, she’s about to take her 3rd year of latin.
It’s helped her vocabulary which has been behind because of the speech and hearing issues. She looks at roots of words and can figure out the meaning.
She loves the history of the Romans.
I’m guessing she’ll make the National Honor Society this year because she did well on the practice test. Supposedly, she’ll be eligible for some good scholarships if she passes the test.
It’s not for everyone, but a great choice for some kids!
Are active duty military included? Often change of station orders or deployment will interfere with their classes. I notice some of the colleges are near a military installation - they often offer on-post classes.
Questions worth answering. I'm sure that some of these colleges are truly terrible, but with statistics it's GIGO: Garbage In --> Garbage Out. Also, some schools have very Darwinian retention policies in science and engineering; i.e., admit generously, and let the basic courses weed out the weak. The attrition rate may be 50% or more, but the ones who graduate know what they're doing.
Bingo! It is simply this—a legalized skim operation for the libtard profs in the “higher” education system of this country.
Has to be some creative number crunching to achieve that!
What is that?
RE: What is that?
I see, you’re one of the few who never followed the Trayvon Martin case...
Too many kids going to college who don’t have the ability needed for a higher education.
Believe me, I’ve been teaching grad and undergrad classes sine 1992 - both at a university and at a community college.
Especially at the community college (open enrollment - you have a HS diploma or equivalency, you’re in), there are kids who shouldn’t be there. I have had kids who were functionally illiterate!!
One girl got 4 point out of 100 on her final. She answered two questions and neither one with a complete sentence, or at least a short phrase that made any sense or had words spelled close enough that I could figure out hat she meant!! But she came to every class. Did nothing but come to class and sit, but that got her a High School diploma, so I guess she figured it would work in college too.
One kid turned in a newsletter assignment, suppose to be two pages, columns, borders, that kind of thing (prove they learned how to use MS Word) - one page, one picture of some band and the words “Album of Yiaer.” Underneath the picture. That was the only assignment he did all semester.
The University is a bit better, but there are still kids who shouldn’t be there. Had one student this past semester in a network security class. Got a 43 out 100+ total points available for all work assigned during the semester. Once a week 3 hour class. Saw this student 4 times. Didn’t turn in a book report that was a term project worth 20 points. Didn’t participate with her group in an investigation project worth 10 points, got .6 (that is less than 1) out of 20 points for homework. I failed her. Two weeks after the semester was over I get an e-mail from the student. Is there anything she can do to raise her grade. She was suppose to graduate(!!!!), but didn’t because I failed her!!! I told her that she should have thought about her final grade during the semester - not two weeks after it was over!!
Coming from the front lines, I’m surprised that they have 20% that even graduate at all!
LOL!!! You owe me a new monitor. :-)
(I never had vodka and orange juice come out my nose before)
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