The Health of Public Education: Are We Preparing American Students for College?

July 28th 2008
By: Dr. Alan Roper

Only 54 percent of students entering four-year colleges in 1997 had a degree six years later, - most of whom dropped out within the first year after high school. Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Legislation of 2002, college preparedness may have become a minor consideration in the world of high stakes testing tied to school funding and resource allocation. The ultimate outcome of this practice may be a disservice to the student, who quickly finds out they’re in over their head in the college or university they’ve been admitted to.

There certainly was a time when a high school education alone provided opportunities for employment, or a professional career. Many people from the “baby boomer” generation did quite well without a college degree, using their talent, hard work, and ingenuity or entrepreneurship as a means to success. The world has changed significantly since then, and young people entering the job market without a college degree will have significantly fewer options. From 1979 to 2003, the inflation-adjusted hourly wages earned by recent high school graduates (one to five years past graduation) have fallen by 17.4% among men and by 4.9% among women. Thus, the quality of jobs available to recent high school graduates has deteriorated remarkably over the last few decades, (EPI, 2004).

College level work will require critical thinking skills, ability to develop conclusions from several resources using inductive reasoning, ability to work both independently and in groups, and a strong set of writing skills that include an ability to use research and analysis. The current focus on testable outcomes in timed reading, mathematics, and social and natural sciences will not prepare students for this type of scholarly work.

“A recurring criticism of tests used in high-stakes decision making is that they distort instruction and force teachers to ‘teach to the test.’ The criticism is not without merit. The public pressure on students, teachers, principals, and school superintendents to raise scores on high-stakes tests is tremendous, and the temptation to tailor and restrict instruction to only that which will be tested is almost irresistible” (Bond, 2007). Teaching to the test in public education may be necessary to ensure funding and the school’s existence, but the lack of student preparedness for college level work seems to be amplified in the process.

Traditional measures used in high schools to measure student achievement such as attendance, graduation and even college matriculation rates (e.g. admission to a college or university) are important, but they may no longer represent sufficient indicators of student preparedness for college level academics, or provide adequate student skills for higher education. When you also consider that since the No Child Left Behind Legislation of 2002, state assessment systems and accountability plans, adequate yearly progress (AYP) measurement, and the school report card system have focused public education learning into a small group of quantifiable academic disciplines.

What can you do about it?
The public has the power to change public education. Even if you don’t have children, grandchildren, or family members in public schools, you have a vested interest in ensuring a future workforce that can meet the demands of the job market 10, 20, or 50 years from now. Be wary of educational reform measures that promise quantifiable accountability. Ask questions of those who design public education in your area. Get involved, regardless of who you are, this is your issue.

Dr. Alan R. Roper,
Professor, University of Phoenix;
Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University;
Senior Education Specialist, Judicial Council of California

Resources:
Associated Press feature, 2005, U.S. college drop-out rate sparks concern: Educators turn attention to getting students all the way to graduation, New York

Bond, L. 2007, Teaching to the Test, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, retrieved July 28, 2008 from http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/perspectives/sub.asp?key=245&subkey=579

The Economic Policy Institute, 2004, The State of Working America 2004/2005, Copyright © 2008 by The Economic Policy Institute. All rights reserved.