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Too many colleges not making the grade
When students and parents are thinking about the all-important question of which college to attend, they find schools eager to talk about how many PhDs they employ, how good the basketball team is--even about the student cafe's new panini maker. Universities generally are not quick to talk about coursework or academic requirements. College rankings are no help, either: none of the major college guides address the question of what students are required to study -- which is why ACTA created WhatWillTheyLearn.com a year ago.
Today, we unveiled the 2011 edition of that resource. The website now evaluates and grades the general education requirements at 714 major colleges and universities nationwide.
What it reveals is that America's colleges and universities have by and large abandoned a coherent, broad-based curriculum. Over 60% of the institutions studied receive a grade of "C" or worse, and 103 earn an "F." Less than 20% of the universities studied required a broad survey class in US Government or History, and less than a third require anything more than elementary study in a foreign language. Only 16 schools nationwide earned an "A" grade.
The situation is particularly bad at private schools: despite the prestige and reputation they often enjoy, over half of private colleges and universities do not require their students to do a single college-level math class, and almost that many fail to require English Composition.
The report also reveals that at far too many institutions, eroding standards are accompanied by rising tuition. The average tuition at those 103 "F" schools is a pricy $28,200 (in contrast to $13,200 at the "A" schools). What Will They Learn.com provides trustees, policymakers, parents, students, and guidance counselors with information available in no other college guide. It looks past reputations and awards and finds out whether or not colleges and universities are giving students the education they need to succeed in the 21st century.
Nearly all colleges and universities claim to regard a strong core as essential; until more of them live up to their words, expect ACTA to keep asking "What Will They Learn?"
Posted by Eric Markley on August 16, 2010 at August 16, 2010 05:41 PM
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