Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

1. The statistics:
   
   According to the Council for Aid to Education, the graduation rate at public colleges/universities has fallen from 52.2 percent in 1983 to 41.9 percent in 2000.
   
   Gosh - That's bad news, isn't it? Is there something we should be doing differently?
   
   
2. The spin cycle:
   
   According to Wes Habley, director of the ACT's office of educational practices, one of the reasons for this drop is that, “There is a notion of entitlement for the U.S. population that everyone should have access to a college education.”
   
   The New York Times writes, “In some suburbs... [public school] counselors are pressured to get almost all students into college because if admission rates fall, children may switch to private [high] schools.”
   
   
3. The seemingly obvious question:
   
   Gee - It looks like these "experts" are blaming the quality of the students, rather than other factors, such as having to work, quality of the education, family situations, or even such classic standbys as drugs and alcohol. What's the matter, don't they want the next generation of Americans to have a quality higher education?
   
   
4. The answer in the form of more statistics:
   
   The Department of Labor expects only about one-fourth of future jobs to require college degrees.
   
   Can't have over-educated sales clerks working at the local mall. It would drive up wages, don't you know. I'm so glad that the New York Times is there protect us from that tragic possibility.