NEW YORK TIMES’ DAVID LEONHARDT WRITES: COLLEGE IS WORTH IT
According to David Leonhardt of The New York Times, “Yes, college is worth it, and it’s not even close.” He goes on to cite the statistics that, “The pay gap between college graduates and everyone else reached a record high last year, according to the new data, which is based on an analysis of Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington. Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree.”
Recently, I was in a discussion with a member of my PLN on twitter, who said college is not for everyone. I thought he made an interesting point. But, in the U.S. I don’t think the training systems are in place to support students who choose to opt out of college and go a different direction. Where are the apprenticeships? Where are the entry points for young people to learn a lifelong trade that can allow them to provide for their families? In light of this stark reality, I think it is appropriate to encourage all of our students to attend college. In order to do this we need to assure that we prepare them in our classrooms, for the expectations of college and beyond. This does not mean teaching to a test, but it does mean making sure they have mastered key concepts in core subjects.
I was recently interviewed by Dr. Will Deyamport III, and we spoke about the tools that teachers can use to assure their students are mastering the learning objectives. Please check it out here: The Dr Will Show.
Do you think college is a must for all students? Please leave your questions and comments in the space below.
