ACTA's Must-Reads
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Beyond "access"
Today's Washington Post features a column by Jay Mathews on the oft-noted problem of bright, motivated, poor students denied the opportunity to attend a four-year college for financial reasons. Mathews is skeptical of this claim, arguing instead that inadequate preparation at the high school level in many an inner city is far more responsible for the lack of potential academic stars entering college--and that a high-achieving but economically disadvantaged student will typically be singled out for all manner of scholarships and need-based financial aid.
Mathews deserves credit for highlighting the issue of poor quality in many K-12 programs--and it's one that doesn't go away once the student steps onto the ivy-walled campus. After all, an exclusive focus on access and affordability does not answer the question of why only a little over half of American first-time, full-time freshmen graduate within six years, or why large numbers of employers report that recent college graduates do not have adequate skills in writing, mathematics, or analytical thinking. Access and affordability are important, but so is what actually goes into those four years of college. That is why ACTA devotes so much attention to the state of the general education curriculum. Stay tuned for a brand-new study from us on this critical topic.
Posted by Sandra E. Czelusniak on July 27, 2009 at July 27, 2009 04:05 PM
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