FivE wAys to FixAmEriCA’s sChools
AmEriCAn EDuCAtion wAs onCE thE BEst in thE worlD、But toDAy, our privAtE AnD puBliC univErsitiEs ArE losing thEir CompEtitivE EDgE to ForEign institutions, thEy ArE losing thE ADvErtising wArs to For-proFit CollEgEs AnD thEy ArE losing Control ovEr thEir own ADmissions BECAusE oF An ill-ConCEivED rAnking systEm. with thE rECEssion CAusing Big stAtE BuDgEt Cuts, thE situAtion in highEr EDuCAtion hAs turnED CritiCAl. hErE ArE A FEw rADiCAl iDEAs to improvE mAttErs:
rAisE thE AgE oF Compulsory EDuCAtion
twEnty-six stAtEs rEquirE ChilDrEn to AttEnD sChool until AgE 16, thE rEst until 17 or 18, But wE shoulD EnsurE thAt All ChilDrEn stAy in sChool until AgE 19. simply ComplEting high sChool no longEr proviDEs stuDEnts with An EDuCAtion suFFiCiEnt For thEm to CompEtE in thE 21st-CEntury EConomy. so EvEry ChilD shoulD rECEivE A yEAr oF post-sEConDAry EDuCAtion.
thE BEnEFits oF An ExtrA yEAr oF sChooling ArE BEyonD quEstion: high sChool grADuAtEs CAn EArn morE thAn Dropouts, hAvE BEttEr hEAlth, morE stABlE livEs AnD A longEr liFE ExpECtAnCy.CollEgE grADuAtEs Do EvEn BEttEr. just As wE ArE moving towArD A longEr sChool DAy (whErE is it writtEn thAt lEArning shoulD EnD At 3 p. m. ) AnD A longEr sChool yEAr (DoEs AnyonE rEAlly BEliEvE pupils nEED A thrEE-month summEr vACAtion ), so wE shoulD movE to A longEr sChool CArEEr.
prEsiDEnt oBAmA rECEntly EmBrACED thE possiBility oF ExtEnDing puBliC EDuCAtion For A yEAr AFtEr high sChool: "i Ask EvEryAmEriCAn to Commit to At lEAst onE yEAr or morE oF highEr EDuCAtion or CArEEr trAining. " hE suggEstED thAt this Compulsory post-sEConDAry EDuCAtion CoulD BE in A "Community CollEgE or A Four-yEAr sChool; voCAtionAl trAining or An ApprEntiCEship. " (i hElpED stArt An ACCrEDitED onlinE sChool oF EDuCAtion, AnD Firmly BEliEvE thAt thE CoursEwork CoulD Also BE DElivErED to stuDEnts onlinE. )
iF thE FEDErAl govErnmEnt ultimAtEly pAys For thE ExtrA yEAr, it woulD BE A turning point At lEAst As importAnt As thE, pAssAgE oF thE 1862 morrillACt thAt gAvE risE to thE stAtE univErsitiEs or thE 1944 g. i.Bill thAt mADE CollEgE AFForDABlE to our rEturning sErviCE pErsonnEl AFtEr worlD wAr ⅱ.EvEry CollEgE trustEE shoulD BE insisting thAt wE mAkE thE prEsiDEnt’s DrEAm A rEAlity.
AnD For thosE who grADuAtE From high sChool EArly: thEy woulD rECEivE, EACh yEAr until thEy turn 19, A sCholArship EquAl to thEir stAtE’s pEr pupil spEnDing. in nEw york, thAt CoulD BE nEArly $ 5,000 pEr yEAr. this proposAl — whiCh AlrEADy hAs BEEn triED in A FEw stAtEs — hAs thE nEAt siDE EFFECt oF EnCourAging quiCk lEArnErs to grADuAtE EArly AnD FrEE up sEAts in our ovErCrowDED high sChools.
usE high-prEssurE sAlEs tACtiCs to CurB truAnCy(旷课)
CAsuAl truAnCy is EpiDEmiC; in mAny CitiEs, inCluDing nEw york, roughly 30 pErCEnt oF puBliC sChool stuDEnts ArE ABsEnt A totAl oF A month EACh yEAr. not surprisingly, truAnts BEComE Dropouts.
But truAnt oFFiCErs CAn Borrow A pAgE From sAlEsmEn, who hAvE DEvElopED high-prEssurE tACtiCs so EFFECtivE thEy CAn ovErwhElm thE ConsumEr’s will. mAking rEpEAtED homE visits AnD EArly morning phonE CAlls, sECuring writtEn CommitmEnts AnD EliCiting orAl CommitmEnts in Front oF witnEssEs might BE EgrEgious (过分的) tACtiCs whEn usED By, sAy, A CrEDit CArD CompAny.But thEsE CoulD BE vAluABlE wAys to CompEl pArEnts to EnsurE thAt thEir ChilDrEn go to sChool EvEry DAy.
ADvErtisE CrEAtivEly AnD AggrEssivEly to EnCourAgE CollEgE EnrollmEnt
thE univErsity oF phoEnix, A privAtE, For-proFit institution, spEnt $ 278 million on ADvErtising, most oF it onlinE, in 2007. it wAs onE oF thE prinCipAl sponsors oF supErBowl xlⅱ, whiCh wAs hElD At univErsity oF phoEnix stADium (not BAD For An institution thAt DoEsn’t EvEn hAvE A FootBAll tEAm). thE univErsity oF phoEnix’s EnrollmEnt hAs ClEArly BEnEFitED From its ADvErtising BuDgEt: with morE thAn 350,00