[gallaxyglue]

Once in a while, the liberal NYTimes has something that is noteworthy. Isn't our educational system dumbed-down enough? Shouldn't college entrance mean more than remedial work to "catch up?" And taxpayer's money paying for these people to "become educated?"

An education used to mean something.

[Hydroshock]

I know of several students who take what are called dual credit courses in a local community college. English, math, history, government all are open. They take the college course and get credit for in college and high school. For obvious reasons they recommend it for only the top 1/3 or students.

[Huck]

College is a waste of money and time. So very thankful am I to have skipped it. High school was a 4 year jail sentence. Freedom begins where school ends.

[aft_lizard]

I think anybody who passes an entrance exam should be allowed to goto college.

But people like that lady who was afraid to take her GED because she might fail, well shes the type that needs to be weeded out,

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

"He asked, 'Don't you have to have a high school diploma to go to college?' " she said. "I was like, 'No, not anymore.' "

Anyone who uses the term, "I was like..." in place of "I said..." should not be allowed to go to college. In fact, they should not be allowed to go to any school. He or she should be shot as a warning to others who are denigrating our language to the point of oblivion.

(Yes, I'm kidding. But, still...)

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The important thing is that the colleges siphon their money and saddle these people with as much student loan debt as possible before they wise up enough to realize what a bad idea it is to have tens of thousands of dollars of education debt and nothing to show for it.

It doesn't matter to the schools how badly the kids fail, as long as they get their money.

[Fruitbat]

In the late 1980's and early 90's, federal investigators found many commercial colleges effectively sweeping unqualified students, many without high school credentials, from the streets into their classrooms to collect their financial aid. The students then dropped out and defaulted on their government loans.

As they say, follow the money.

To prevent that, the government now requires that before students lacking high school credentials can qualify for financial aid, they have to pass a test approved by the federal Department of Education to show they have the "ability to benefit" from higher education.

I'm sure those testing standards are grueling. /s

I'm not averse to not having a HS diploma to get into college. But there should be at least an entance exam that each school/college/univ. administers and that is written by that school. Someone can then keep tabs on that and maintain a rating system so that there are standards there for would-be employers.

HS's these days are a cut above worthless other than for minimally acceptable standards. In fact, a debate of this nature may do something to reassess our public school system. Even our college system is tantamount to NPR except that people pay for it.

Technical disciplines in the upper class years are different.

When I hire I pay much less attention to academic credentials, since many are meaningless, and much more to how well spoken a person is, whether or not they can seem to think beyond what they've been told, and whether or not they can interact with others, customers, effectively.

There are people with high GPA's that are morons "on the street."

[AD from SpringBay]

(S)ome educators say even students who could not complete high school should be allowed to attend college.

Just so long as they are allowed to fail when they can't complete the work.

[capitalist229]

College is where you learn how to think in a disciplined manner.

Employers want committed, disciplined workers.

Rote knowledge can be acquired from any reference book.

BUMP

[EDINVA]

you have to think about the qualify of some of our high schools, and also maturation rates of students. I've seen successful adults who struggled or even dropped out of high school, but who eventually found their 'niche' and went on to significant success.

If a student's mind hasn't been challenged during the K-12 years, s/he may find a stint in the military or the 'real world' awakens his or her mind and brings about a focus that has very practical uses that can be brought to fruition in college.

All education isn't achieved in a classroom. In fact, overall precious little IS.

[MissAmericanPie]

I have to confess, I hated public school, graduated by the skin of my teeth. But I pulled an average 3.8 and above in college. If I were a millionaire I would still be attending college taking this class and that.

In Public School I would nod off in class. But in College I could move at my own pace which is pretty fast, I loved it. They were as different as night and day and I still don't understand it.

[TKDietz]

Who cares whether they have graduated from high school or not? If the college will take them and if the students are not getting financial aid, I see absolutely no problem with this. I've known people who didn't graduate from high school but went on to college and did fine. One is a successful lawyer I went to law school with. He did get his GED though. He was even an officer in the National Guard. I don't like the idea of giving financial aid for college to lame brains who couldn't even cut it in high school, but a lot of people who drop out though do not drop out because they don't have what it takes to make it. They drop out for other reasons. I'm happy to see people like that go back to school and make something out of their lives.

[eleni121]

Kids want an education but not in NEA run high schools! They are opting out of high school because as institutions of learning they have become an obsolete anachronism. In general High schools are failing their students...but they do serve some of their constituents:

Special interest students and those whose families who can provide no other option and are capable of enforcing attendance.

As technology opens up new channels of teaching and learning the only reason to go to high school is for socialization and that will not get most kids excited any more since their "best buddy" may be a kid on some chat room on the other side of the world.

Why stay in school and be a zombie for some left wing pre retiree teacher who might even molest you.

[MissEdie]

A college education should be for the academic elite. I am sorry, not every body is college material.

[bigeasy_70118]

I am one of these non-diplomaed college and law school grads.

I went to a very small private high school. I never could on track there. Every grade was a C or worse. At age 15, I took the SATs. My score was close to 1500. At this point, I dropped out of HS, passed the GED. I took a couple of classes at a local community college and got As.

I enrolled at Tulane when my high school classmates were in their senior year. Best thing that ever happened to me.

This is is really no big deal. High school is a complete waste of time.

I should also mention that my parents were completely non-supportive of my decisions. It was until I graduated law school, that my Dad said he was proud of me.

[Phlap]

This is old news. And I do mean old. I went straight to university without completing high school in 1973.

[hosepipe]

Why not?.. The continuing re-education of America College students into stone socialists is not complete at the High School level..

"How do you tell a Socialist:- It's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an Anti-Socialist someone who understands Marx and Lenin" -Ronald Reagan

NOTE: American(and world) academia requires a cursory attention to Marx, but denies a proper understanding of Marx.. Lenin.. Hegel.. Stalin.. Mao.. And IT WORKS.. The American college student has no idea that the Social Security Act is in fact rock hard Socialism completely.. Not LIKE socialism, IT IS PURE SOCIALISM.. But worse they have NO IDEA that socialism is Slavery by Givernment.. Pure slavery, indentured servitude..

[cpa4you]

I have some experience with this topic as my oldest son began college this past year with just, barely, a 9th grade education.

He left school under pressure because he didn't fit in to what the school considered their "norm." (He isn't retarded nor is he a genius.) He was repeatedly harassed about numerous trivial things until he left. Can't tell you the number of times I left work because the school said he wasn't there only to find him at school when I arrived. The school discipline officer threatened to suspend my son because a girlfriend had drawn mushrooms on a notebook. Claimed it was a violation of the school's drug policy, except he couldn't show me anywhere where that particular policy was published.

After a year or two he got his GED, passed with flying colors, in fact.

After about seven years he enrolled in college. He "tested out" to avoid remedial classes and to get college credit for what he took.

To make a very long story shorter, he has an "A" average, taking a full load of classes in nursing (think of all those math and science courses) while working full-time.

So, are we better off because a student got a shot at higher education, even though washing out in the NEA's high school?

Yeah, I think so.

Sam Pierce

[Aquinasfan]

An education used to mean something.

Education always means something. Schooling, not so much.

[Boiler Plate]

The biggest difference between college and HS is that college is voluntary. HS for many is a prison sentence and they learn to hate "Education", because they are forced to learn things they no interest in or they have lousy teachers. College is the first opportunity to learn what, where and when they choose to and suddenly education is motivated by desire and not truant officers.

The beauty of American education is you can get an education when you are finally mature enough to see the benefits of it. Not everyone is ready for college when they are 18.

[Buffettfan]

More liberal "we don't want to hurt their self steem" nonsense.