Why comment now?
On my drive to work this afternoon, as I randomly scanned through radio stations, I landed on a somewhat conservative talk station where the hosts were complaining (no -- screaming) about the cost of California's community college system -- specifically focusing on the salaries of teachers. California, like quite a few other states is in a terrible mess financially. The fact that the teachers in this specific system are well paid makes them, to use a term I've employed before, an easy target. But the hosts' true justifications for cutting the salaries was asinine.
They sited the fact that the degree completion rate in the California community college system was a shockingly low thirty percent. How can we pay these teachers so much money when they are obviously terrible at their jobs? But this is a fallacious argument.
The completion rate for four year degrees (while allowing for six years to complete) across the nation is also appallingly low, just fifty-five percent. Community colleges, at least in California, have a mandate which insists that they must take all students, no matter how good or poor their secondary educational records. State and private universities are allowed to pick who they admit based upon academic record. Obviously, given higher admissions standards, we can assume the completion rates should go up. But isn't fifty-five percent still low?
This is nothing new however. I remember my first day of college orientation, back before this new-fangled interweb thingee existed. In a large auditorium filled to the brim, the professor asked us to turn to the left, then turn to the right and greet our new classmates. Then he dropped the bomb, "By the end of this academic year one of you will be gone. At the end of four years, only one of you will be left." Sobering words to an eighteen year old.
President Obama has set an educational goal that hopes for sixty percent of all American citizens to earn a post secondary degree by the year 2020. But I don't think it's realistic. Maybe we place too much emphasis on completion, and not enough emphasis on quality of education. Which leads me back to the above video (finally -- I can hear all of you sighing with relief).
Alexandra Wallace is a political science major. Yet she seems ignorant to all but her own narrow little world. Just where did she learn to act this way? Even the most ignorant of us know the answer.
Education starts at home with the parents. Quality teachers are obviously important, but everyone seems to leave out parental responsibility. My kid can't read! Well, did you ever read to him? Probably not. Even telling stories passed from your parents and just talking about the kids' day. Checking their homework, and communicating with their teachers on a regular basis, not just on "open house" night. My wife is amazing at this, yet never received a degree. The result -- our kids are thriving.
You need to stay involved.
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