NEW YORK TIMES: …Each [of the three friends] showed the ability to do college work, even excel at it. But the need to earn money brought one set of strains, campus alienation brought others, and ties to boyfriends not in school added complications. With little guidance from family or school officials, college became a leap that they braved without a safety net.
The story of their lost footing is also the story of something larger — the growing role that education plays in preserving class divisions. Poor students have long trailed affluent peers in school performance, but from grade-school tests to college completion, the gaps are growing. With school success and earning prospects ever more entwined, the consequences carry far: education, a force meant to erode class barriers, appears to be fortifying them.
“Everyone wants to think of education as an equalizer — the place where upward mobility gets started,” said Greg J. Duncan, an economist at the University of California, Irvine. “But on virtually every measure we have, the gaps between high- and low-income kids are widening. It’s very disheartening.” … (more)
This is another myth perpetuated by left wing extremists who have over sold people on education. As businesses know, higher education institutions do not guarantee a students ability to perform on the job, especially high paying jobs. They merely attest that a student “passed” a course of study. In an effort to get their children a better “seat” at the table, parents and students often get into great debt, often with little hope of getting out in a reasonable amount of time. Long ago Inflation of college costs surpassed even health care costs while left wing extremists say nothing since it affects part of their political power base. High schools should be focusing on skills resulting in employable students. Why can’t high schools offer degrees? Why should students need to leave home and pay outrageous costs when it might be done locally? How can students, who fail a course over 9 months in high school, pass the course in a few weeks of summer school? Methinks something is afoot.
EDITOR: We agree that a colledge education is not for everyone. However, we recommend the writer check out “Lifetime Earnings Soar with Education” from the U. S. Government.
What the writer was looking for was a causal connection, not a mere correlation. For example, if the government demands a PhD of all government employees as a condition of employment, the subsequent market distortion will result in guess what? More PhD’s! However, if “earnings really soar” as the government claims then the whole premise of the Times article is in question. If such a pot of gold really exists at the end of the college rainbow borrowed money becomes trivial as it will easily be repaid. Since college loan defaults are increasing at an alarming rate I doubt such a pot of gold exists.
Average student loan debt up again for new college grads
FOX NEWS: ….Still, while 2011 college graduates faced an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent in 2011, even those with debt remained generally better off than those without a degree. The report emphasized research showing that the economic returns on college degrees remain, in general, strong. It noted the unemployment rate for those with only a high school credential last year was 19.1 percent.
So, the choice is to load up on college debt and get a job, even if it’s at low pay. Or, don’t load up on debt and get on the dole. Some choice! Not the America I grew up in.