College graduates' literacy on decline, study says
Submitted by Wayne on Mon, 2005-12-26 12:03.
Homeschool
College graduates' literacy on decline, study says - Literacy specialists and educators say they are stunned by the results of a recent adult literacy assessment, which shows that the reading proficiency of college graduates has declined in the past decade, with no obvious explanation. ''It's appalling -- it's really astounding," said Michael Gorman, president of the American Library Association and a librarian at California State University at Fresno. ''Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. That's not saying much for the remainder." While more Americans are graduating from college, and more than ever are applying for admission, far fewer are... [Free Republic]
In my experience, employers are more frequently looking for higher degrees in prospective employees: Masters, PhDs, etc. However, the quality of even these more highly degreed graduates is still poorer than I would expect from high school graduates. Perhaps more degrees are being sought (by employers in their employees) because they think it'll make up for the morons graduating with four-year degrees. Of course, this is flawed thinking, but employers haven't figured that out yet. The problem won't be solved with more of the same education that cranked out the morons from high school and four-year college programs.
College degrees have gone the way of teacher's certificates, doctor's credentials, and the lawyers' bar exam: they're useless. Any idiot can get one, and apparently more idiots than not do get them. I personally put no stock at all in degrees. Some of the best engineers I know chose not to endure the corrupt university system. Sadly, the otherwise worthless degree is only of value to employers--thus, sometimes it is necessary for employment.
As for my kids, I have no problem whatsoever if they choose (or have chosen) to avoid college and go instead for a real education. They're likely better for it. If a degree were "necessary" for desired employment, an alternative is to get the degree by getting a real education, rather than by going to college (e.g., apprenticeship, essays, etc., for college credit). This choice is well suited for homeschoolers, who are far more likely to know how to learn, know how to seek out an education, and have the virtues to make their degree worth something.
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It's worse!
Submitted by Wayne on Mon, 2005-12-26 13:27.
You should really read the study's report, linked above. The results are actually far worse than the article states.
An example of what "proficient" means:
- comparing viewpoints in two editorials;
- interpreting a table about blood pressure, age, and physical activity; and
- computing and comparing the cost per ounce of food items (note that calculators were allowed).
These really shouldn't be all that difficult, but only 13% could do it! Given all respondents were at least sixteen years old, there is no good excuse in failing to achieve "proficient", specifically defined to be at least 335/340/350 points (depending upon which section) out of a possible 500 points. I'd say this was setting the bar pretty low. But even with such a low standard... When looking at age-based averages for their scores, no average even topped 300 points. When grouped by education, even the average graduate student couldn't top 332. I won't even broach the issue of racial differences in scores. Read the report.
The agenda
Submitted by Dave on Thu, 2006-01-12 08:23.
Not that this will come as a shock to anyone who has been reading TuscanyCircle for any length of time, but this editorial points to the liberal-social agenda of the public education leadership as the direct cause of the decline in adult literacy. The author points out that, given the fact that the effects of the reading methods taught in public schools have been well known for over a century, educators are lying through their teeth when they claim that they don't know what to do about the problem.
Of course, there is a ready solution at hand: homeschool your kids. If nothing else, teach them to read via the phonics method before they start school. More than ever, we need a citizenry that can read and comprehend complex material.
Vox agrees
Submitted by Wayne on Thu, 2006-01-12 14:51.
Guess who the least-literate are?
Submitted by Dave on Wed, 2006-02-15 12:51.
This study shows that of various college majors, the students that consistently score the worst (or close to it) on post-graduate standardized tests are the Education majors. They then go on to teaching positions in public schools, thus perpetuating the literacy problem.
I thought it was hilarious that, although Education majors finished last on three of the tests, there was one major that scored lower on the GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude Test). That was the Business majors. Funny, I would have thought that Business majors would score relatively high on a management aptitude test. I guess that says a lot about the value of a Business major.
The value of a college education
Submitted by Dave on Mon, 2006-04-24 08:31.
In this column, Vox Day puts an interesting perspective on the value of a college education.
Reality trumps satire
Submitted by Dave on Fri, 2006-04-28 08:22.
Vox refers to, and comments on, this N.Y. Times op-ed, in which the author describes ways in which American universities are already marketing themselves as "brands," pandering to students while maintaining only lip service regarding actual education. Note that the author of this piece was researching a satirical novel on these practices, but he abandoned the effort when he realized that any satire he could come up with was dwarfed by the ridiculous practices that are already taking place at some universities.
Note: If you have trouble accessing the NY Times article (and I highly recommend reading it -- it is not long), go to bugmenot.com and get a login/password.
The price of a college education
Submitted by Dave on Thu, 2006-05-04 08:21.
In her latest column, Ann Coulter notes the differing reactions to what some have termed "price gouging" as regards the rising prices of gas/oil and college tuition. She notes that no one is calling for forced limitations on the salaries of college professors (as they are for "big oil" executives), nor for government subsidies of oil companies (as they are for universities, not that they both don't receive them already). I found the statement about getting the President to "limit [tuition] prices" (Does the Constitution give him the power to do that? I'm sure it's in there somewhere, if you dig for it.) most chilling. Does anybody remember gas lines? California brown-outs? Limiting prices causes shortages. If that idiocy becomes reality, then the universities will be full to the brim with students, and applicants will be put on a waiting list just to be considered for admission.
At the end of the day, the enormous cost of a college education, coupled with an ever-increasing tax burden on the middle class, will ultimately result in economic exclusion of anyone besides the rich elite from the "hallowed halls" of our universities. Of course, that may actually be the point of all this blathering.
Good thing
Submitted by Wayne on Tue, 2007-04-17 11:59.
It seems to me that causing a shortage of "higher education" could only lead to good things. Universities are a joke today, especially the ones with good reputations. Refraining from using them, assuring their eventual demise, can only be good for everyone in the long run. Then, there will be plenty of room for an alternative to rise.
Link to study
http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/20...