it was the Grafton piece
I found it very interesting. First, I found my own daughter's experience at UC Davis at odds with the study quoted in the article (the study devoted to assessing reading and analytical thought development). I am saddened that many students do not seem to be receiving the benefits a university education is supposed to confer, but on the other hand, it makes me even more glad that my daughter does seem to have gotten our money's worth at Davis. I have seen a tremendous improvement in her writing and in her clarity of thought. I grant you, my daughter probably studies more than 25 hours a week, and she has always utilized tutoring centers when she needed help. The writing lab at UC Davis seemed very helpful (and she would take criticism from them she would not take from me.) She's also had opportunities to do primary research, and to tutor in her major, that I think all students would benefit from, but apparently do not seek out.
I think the problem is so complex it's almost a problem at the individual level. Students come to college with their own multifarious problems. Many students are not prepared- either because they are lazy, and feel entitled, or because their high schools failed to be rigorous enough to prepare them. Parents often are not as supportive as they could be, whether because they do not understand the value of a college education, or because money is tight, and they simple can't (or choose not to) make sacrifices to help their kids succeed. The working students is at a huge disadvantage, imo. Then there are the crap majors out there, which (imo) no one should take, and which should not be offered. I know it's perceived to be culturally insensitive, but I think all the ethnic studies departments are a huge waste of time for students, as is women's studies. When you get a degree in this the main career step is to teach it- so we breed a crop of students whose only job outlet is to teach the same economically unviable material they learned? I feel the same about women's studies. All of these balkanized feel good topics belong under the umbrella of history- and to be fair, at some colleges that's where they are. The ethnic studies department was a joke at my undergraduate institution.
I also think we need more government help for students who pursue degrees in areas where we have open jobs that need to be filled. I know at Sandia and LLNL and some other high powered institutions, postings remain open because they cannot find credentialed US citizens to fill the positions. IMO we should have free education for students who pursue degrees in careers that are high demand. I know that's unfair to psych and English majors, but so be it. It is what it is. Being impractical helped to land us where we are now.
And don't think I let high schools off the hook. We have got to have more rigor for the kids who are going to college. My AP kids are shocked (shocked!) they are being graded on out put instead of effort. I know them well enough now to be able to hector them occasionally, and I've told them repeatedly they are NOT, at this point, college material yet. They can be, and at times they rise to the level I expect, but they need to work a lot harder than they are used to, if they want to succeed at a UC (for example). A certain amount of badgering seems necessary to the process. I'm pleased to tell you- in secret- that I think most of my students could now, after only 1/2 my course, pass the AP exam, but I am having real problems with the 2 second language students in the class. Their writing is just not up to par, and I'm not going to lie to them. One of the students comes to me almost every lunch for extra help with his writing and he is improving,a nd I give him all the help and encouragement I can. But it's going to be an uphill battle for him, despite his obvious intelligence and goodwill. What can I do but offer honest assessment, unlimited help, and encouragement? I'm afraid most high schools offer platitudes and lies. Anyway, these are my thoughts- random though they might appear to be. |
