The Sad Truth about Higher Education

While the cost of higher education has risen exponentially in the past few decades, some parents and students are asking themselves an important question - is college worth the cost? In a recent episode of CNN's This Hour, Prof. Richard Arum of New York University and Prof. Kathy Davidson of the City University of New York weighed in with their thoughts. Both agreed that having a college degree is essential in creating an intelligent society and a promising future; they also  agreed that the system of education is completely flawed. Students are paying hefty college tuitions and are graduating with an average of $30,000 or more.The horrible truth is that students are just not getting the type of education that is tantamount to the money that they are paying to get a degree, and if we keep going down this road, people are just going to stop going to college. What will happen then?

The fact of the matter is the education that should be equivalent to the tuition cost of many colleges is not as rigorous or demanding as it should be. Local and state governments need to start taking a look at what is happening in terms of academic experience and student growth, see that there is a problem, and do something about it. Meanwhile, the cost of higher education has risen 1000% over the last century, and that is just not acceptable. Prof. Davidson stated that 80% of the students that graduate from CUNY have no student debt, and attests this to the fact the New York invests 51% of their operating costs into colleges. "Either we pay collectively as a society," she said, "or our students pay, and then we pay in the future by not having a future..." Davidson reported that other states invest as low as 8% and that's why college tuition has skyrocketed.  Without education, there would be no leaders, no industry, no America. In my opinion, having a future in which we all help to make education affordable and available is MUCH better than not having a future at all.

Common Core for Colleges?

Well that's what it looks like with President Obama's new set of initiatives for the 2015-2016 school year. Obama's education department recently released an outline of how they plan to rate two-year and four-year colleges/universities based on accessibility, affordability, and student success/outcome. President Obama wants to tie the $150 billion in federal funding that goes to colleges every year to this rating system in order to help make higher education more affordable and accessible to more students. President Obama said himself, "Colleges that keep their tuition go down and provide a quality education are going to see their funding go up...It is time to stop subsidizing schools that are not providing good results." Now this sounds awfully like the Common Core that has been criticized many times by high school students, parents, and teachers, and I'm sure this system will not be any less criticized.

CBS news reports, "The education department is still working on the best ways to determine what constitutes 'low-performing' or 'high-performing' as well as ways to recognize improved performance over time. In the mean time, they will use the percentage of students in college receiving Pell grants and with parents who have not attended college to measure accessibility, and net cost and family income quintiles to measure affordability. As for success, the education department will evaluate completion rates, transfer rates, and labor market success.

Yes, it's true, colleges are becoming more and more expensive as the years go by, and yes, this is a problem. However, with this system, I'm sure there will still be much opposition.It's just like the Common Core that many people today are opposed to; it has the same sense of collectivism and arrogance. Government officials are not the ones in schools, how do they know how to accurately rate schools? In essence, most colleges are business and will do anything to get the moolah. That may mean admitting more low-income students to boost accessibility or even allow more students to graduate to boost completion rates. When money is on the table, I'm sure many schools will sacrifice quality education for the dough. Obama's intentions are in the right place, but this approach is not far off from the already socially-disapproved Common Core.

Everything's Bigger Down South

When we think of the South, some things that come to mind are big hats and big boots, but we almost never think about the massive education funding gaps. In Durant, Mississippi, the last time the state provided full funding for education was in 2008. Now the funding gap has grown to $1.5 billion, and Mississippi could fall $260 million short in the 2016 year. Currently, Mississippi ranks last in state ratings of student achievement, but this isn't a result of student incompetency. Instead, the lack of resources available and the overall quality of education are to blame.

In Durant, textbooks are not up-to-date and do not meet the Common Core standards. In other words, the most basic of resources in schools are unavailable in a school district of only 588 students. However, the sad truth, according to former superintendent Glenn Carlisle, is that "if [they] buy new textbooks, [they're] not going to have the teachers." Though when they do hire new teachers, the Durant School District hires people right out of college with less experience because they're cheaper. THAT'S ABSURD! Students deserve much more than random lessons from the Internet and amateur teachers, there's not much that Durant can do.

The vast majority of Mississippi's school districts have raised property taxes to help close the gap, but their efforts have not been very successful. Other school districts in the state sued to make the state pay for what is owed to the school district (the Durant School District is actually in violation of a law that requires that students have textbooks or electronic devices in every subject to take home). Education advocacy groups have taken a more reasonable approach to try to amend the state's constitution to guarantee sufficient education funding.

The fact that the Durant School District has broken a state law and the state hasn't assisted in any way to amend the violation puts forth an air of hypocrisy on the state legislature. The state's failure and/or inability to enforce its own law is both sad and outrageous. Government needs to start putting education in the forefront of its priorities. Without quality education, the future of America will be the America's biggest failure.

Do Me A Solid and Pay My Student Debt

With the average cost of college higher than ever, it's almost impossible to pay it all off without taking out student loans. A recent episode of Huckabee on Fox News reported that 70% of all students graduate with student loan debt, and that approximately 42% of all households under the age of 35 still owe student loans. This statistic reflects the majority of recent college graduates that are currently unemployed.

In today's economy, it can be very difficult to get a job, in any field. Regardless of degree, only 20% of all millennials are getting jobs out of the first two years of college, which means only 1 in 5 people of that generation have the ability to pay off their debt. What do the other 80% do, you ask? Well, 24% of them think that their debt should be completely forgiven, that the federal government should come in and pay off their debt for them. Now this may sound completely absurd, but good arguments were made on both sides.

"We bailed out banks, and then we gave pay increases to CEOs who sent our economy spiraling down. The least we can do is help a generation that has been overcharged for education." I completely agree that colleges are currently overpriced when, in the past, a semester only cost $600 per semester. Some people just do not have the money to attend renowned schools, and according to Huckabee's panel, "those who are going to higher undergraduate, unfortunately, private institutions are the ones getting the jobs"; those who are attending public, community, or online colleges simply are not getting jobs. However, is it the responsibility of the taxpayers to pay off student loan debt?

Gov. Huckabee (R) doesn't think so. "If a student decides to go to the most expensive school in America, why is it my responsibility as a taxpayer to...have to pay for somebody else's decision?/I'd say go to the school you can afford." I do agree that it would put a lot of responsibility on the taxpayer, and I believe that just erasing one's student debt would set a mindset of "oh, I can go to all the student loans I want and America will just do me a solid and pay it off for me." Another panel member brought up the fact that many students do not pursue the "hundreds of thousands" of blue collar jobs waiting to be filled. I also agree with this statement, but does that mean one has to sacrifice a life of happiness doing something they're passionate about in order to make a salary?
My solution would simply be to make higher education more accessible to the masses. Whether that means colleges lowering their tuition or the federal government providing more aid to pursue education, it doesn't matter. More opportunities would be available for students to get jobs and give back to the community if we allow higher education to be easier pursued. If we want to be able to boost the economy, close the unemployment gap, and advance our nation, we need to start with our education system, for "education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."

Thoughts on Ferguson

I know this post isn't about education, but due to recent times, I thought it would be a good idea to post about my thoughts on the Michael Brown case and the discrimination of the black community as a whole.


A recent episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews showed coverage of the aftermath of the grand jury decision in Ferguson, MO. It reported that the riots and protests were smaller and less violent, compared to when the decision had just come out. It also reported that the protesters were utilizing the daytime to peacefully protest, as well as the nighttime. In my opinion, these less violent and more strategic protests are much more effective in getting national support and attention. Perry Bacon, NBC News' Senior Political Reporter, and Marq Claxton of the Black Law Enforcement Alliance also believe these organized protests do more for the cause than the violence that has been prevalent in the previous protests in Ferguson.

The major part of the episode was dedicated to the differing accounts, by Officer Wilson and witness Dorian Johnson, of what happened in Michael Brown's shooting. Wilson claimed that there was "no way" that Brown held his hands up and that Brown started to run at him, while Johnson claimed that Brown held his hands up the whole time and "never plunged at [Wilson] in any type of manner." These discrepancies in the accounts call for some change in policy, and Perry Bacon talked about implementing the use of body cameras for police officers.  In a control group, it was found that there was a 60% drop in officer use of force, and a whopping 88% drop in citizen complaints. The use of body cameras would have indeed resolved some of the controversy over this case and should definitely start to be used, but I do not believe that this would solve the true problem.

There is an obvious sense of racial bias in today's society and legal system, and the implementing the use of body cameras would not change this one bit. Marq Claxton touched on the rationale behind the "fear for one's life" defense, and said that the legal standard should be a reasonable fear for one's life. Personally, if Michael Brown had been white, I do not think that Officer Wilson would have felt so afraid that he would resort to deadly physical force. This also goes for all the police officers that I see in videos all over the web that wrongfully treat and arrest black citizens for no other reason except for the color of their skin. The black community seems to not have the equal protection guaranteed them under the constitution, and these acts of racial profiling need to stop.

I'll end this post with a quote by Georgetown Professor, Michael Eric Dyson:
"“Black people who kill black people go to jail; white people who are policemen who kill black people do not go to jail."

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

The tale of "The Tortoise and The Hare" has been a childhood classic for generations, and the lesson that we take from Aesop's fable is "slow and steady wins the race." However, the federal government begs to differ with its Race to the Top Initiative. The federal government is willing to offer bold incentives for states that succeed in meeting certain standards based on standardized test scores and teacher evaluations. Now this might seem like a good thing, and in some ways it is, but the fact of the matter is that these tests pressure the teachers, undermine effective instruction, and worst of all, create a society in which "quality education" is just learning quick tricks to get good grades on tests. An article in The Atlantic makes an interesting analogy between food production and getting good grades, and discusses a remedy that could help America's flawed education system.

Here's the analogy: just as a cow's health suffers from being fed corn instead of grass in order to grow more quickly, so does a student's education suffer from being taught quick tricks that will help raise test scores instead of actually taking the time to understand the material. In author Elizabeth Green's book, Building a Better Teacher, she describes how some schools and teachers have adopted these industrial methods to not only raise test scores, but also add to the quality of student education. Green reports that schools in Japan approach learning by having entire class periods dedicated to slowly working through one problem, rather than solving numerous problems in a short period, which I am sure that all American students are familiar with. This method emphasizes the process of learning more than the results, which allows for more free-thinking, and creates a better environment that provides a better learning experience for students.

Cramming for tests, as I can attest to, is neither a sustainable, nor efficient system of learning, and the federal government's awarding of this type of learning is hideous to me . If America's system of education would move away from standardized tests and adopt this "Slow School" movement, the quality of education would be much better off, and American students would be a lot smarter.

To Test or Not to Test?

The New York Times recently reported that parents in Royal Palm Beach, Florida rallied to voice their frustrations with the number of standardized tests that have come pouring in from district, state, and federal levels. Some are concerned that their teenagers have to take anxiety pills to cope with stress; others mentioned the fact that some teachers would rather retire than "promote a culture that seems to value testing over learning." The influx of tests are due to the state trying to fulfill federal grant obligations on teacher evaluations, and also due to the district trying to keep up with the new Common Core standards, which are making standards harder and standardized tests much more difficult. All of these tests, in addition to SATs, ACTs, and AP tests, are weighing down heavily on the students, and on the teachers who instruct them. Many schools in Florida this year will dedicate 60-80 out of 180 school days for standardized testing. Now, the question is this - Is this what we call "quality education"?

In my opinion, standardized testing is not an accurate assessment on a student's academic ability. I also believe that implementing an increased number of standardized tests creates a learning environment in which the teachers are forced to "teach to a test". Arne Duncan said that the teachers have not had enough time to adapt to these new standards and tests. When the teachers have to adapt and change their way of teaching to meet new, harder standards, the students suffer from bad test scores. When students get bad test scores, it reflects poorly on them, on the teachers, and on the schools. Because the students get bad test scores on the tests that the government uses as evaluators, schools and teachers get less money to function, and this limits the resources that the students are able to receive to get a quality education. Then the cycle repeats.

America's education system is flawed, and needs drastic changes. Students nowadays are just taking in information that they need to get good grades on tests, instead of actually learning and retaining the material that they need to succeed in the real world. I've seen first-hand that students in 12th grade just work to get the "A", so that they can satisfy parents, colleges, etc. What I think that the government should do is stop making formulas and standards that "equally evaluate" students. The government needs to stop creating a system of education that conforms students to what they believe are apt standards. If we keep going down this road, free-thinking and actual learning will be a thing of the past.

The Budget Cut Crisis: Will the School District Survive?

The School District of Philadelphia is the 8th largest school district in the United States, and yet, there hasn't been enough money to provide students and teachers with the resources and funding they deserve. Currently, the District faces a $304 million deficit, and a projected $70 million deficit for the next  school year. Personally, I am worried of what will become of my school district if sustainable funding doesn't come our way soon.

Recently, a $2-per-pack cigarette tax was passed to close the budget gap for the School District, along with the $32 million in cuts made this past summer. This tax is estimated to generate about $49 million by the end of this year, and has allowed the district to get by, but how long is the district going to just "get by"? Don't get me wrong, the tax is good, and without it, schools wouldn't have opened on time, but let's be real - it doesn't solve the problem. This tax is merely a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. No more Band-Aids. What the School District needs is surgery, plastic surgery to be exact; the district needs a complete makeover.

My issue is with the School Reform Commission. Since 2001, the SRC has been the governing body of the School District of Philadelphia. Back then, they were put in place to dissolve a $30 million deficit - which they didn't do - and since then, the deficit has skyrocketed to $304 million! Obviously, the SRC is not doing a good job of handling the District's finances, and this needs to change. The SRC is not in the classrooms, and the SRC does not know what its failure has caused for hundreds of thousands of students.

Central High School, my school, has suffered from the loss of 12 teachers and 5 guidance counselors, and started off this school year with an Algebra I class packed with 59 students. Bodine High School has cancelled physics classes altogether because the school does not have anyone to teach it. THIS IS CRAZY! Students at the Central had to sit on the floor during class for the first few weeks of school, and students at Bodine can't take physics, which is a prerequisite class for many college science majors.

Schools need sustainable funding and new leadership now. Until then, the budget cut bullet will continue to do damage to the student body.

Sources:
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=360146623
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/71879-woes-of-philly-schools-cant-be-overstated-hughes-declares?linktype=hp_topstory
http://watchdog.org/173048/philadelphia-cigarette-tax/
http://parentsunitedphila.com/2014/10/27/this-happened-today-bodine-high-loses-teachers-cancels-physics/

"We Want Wolf!"

That's what union workers chanted yesterday at Tom Wolf's rally at a supermarket in South Philadelphia. According to recent surveys released by Franklin & Marshall College and Muhlenberg College, Wolf is ahead in the polls by double digits (12-13 percentage points to be exact). If Wolf keeps this lead through the midterm elections, Corbett could make history! No Pennsylvania governor has lost a re-election attempt since 1854, but for Pennsylvania's sake I hope Wolf is victorious.

Under Tom Corbett, job creation has plummeted. During Corbett's first term as governor, Pennsylvania ranked 50th in job creation. If you haven't realized, that's dead last...What's worse is the fact that Tom Corbett slashed about $1 billion dollars from Pennsylvanian education and laid off thousands of teachers. Due to this "axe at education", students in Pennsylvania schools have had to cope with larger class sizes, less resources, and less teachers/staff.  With the rising costs of college tuition and the expectations of colleges and universities, how does Tom Corbett expect the next generation to succeed with the current quality of education in Pennsylvania? "I believe that children are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way." I'm sorry, Whitney Houston, but I don't think Tom Corbett shares your beliefs. Apparently he only cares about his precious gas companies and giving tax breaks to large corporations, but who's to say?

Pennsylvania needs a fresh start. Tom Wolf's campaign focuses on strengthening the middle class by creating more jobs, implementing a reasonable 5% extraction tax on natural gas, and creating a better system of education for Pennsylvania students. Wolf has a considerable lead over Corbett in the polls, and Corbett has a steep hill to climb if he doesn't want to be the first gubernatorial incumbent to lose since the 19th century.In 2010, exit polls showed that Corbett acquired 15% of the votes from self-identified Democrats and 93% from Republicans; the Franklin & Marshall survey released on October 29th, 2014 reports that Corbett only has 75% of the Republican and 7% of the Democrat vote.

This lead could actually hurt Tom Wolf, with respect to voter turnout. Because the polls seem to show that Wolf will win, many voters may not feel the need to show up. According to Wes Leckrone, associate professor at Widener University, Democratic turnout is low for midterm elections and that turnout will be a key factor in the election.

With that said: GO AND VOTE PENNSYLVANIA! But not for Corbett...


Sources:
1) Creason, Naomi. "Tom vs. Tom." N.p., 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
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2) Fitzgerald, Thomas. "THE FINAL DASH." Philadelphia Inquirer. H.F. Lenfest, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. 

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3) "Read Tom Wolf's Plan to Give Pennsylvania a Fresh Start - Tom Wolf for Governor." Tom Wolf's Plan to Give Pennsylvania a Fresh Start. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. 

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