In her book, Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream, Suzanne Mettler quotes Rick Santorum saying, “President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob. There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard every day and put their skills to tests that aren’t taught by some liberal professors” (p. 19). Prior to taking a class on higher education, I would have agreed with Obama’s stance on the issue and would have questioned Santorum’s critique. I think President Obama’s idea has value and symbolizes his commitment to education and equality, or, at least, equal opportunity. However, I now find it difficult to see value in having everyone attend college—especially given the quality of many higher education institutions and the low graduation rates.
Mettler references a recent study that indicated students engage in low levels of learning and studying, which suggests that colleges have begun to dumb down the academics due to the unpreparedness of the students (p.20). Given that research, I do not think increasing the accessibility to higher education would actually change the reality that many students who attend college end up not learning anyways. It also seems wasteful to try to make college a reality for everyone when the reality is that not everyone desires a college education or has the ability to excel in a college setting. To me, it makes more sense for the government to invest more in secondary education so that when students graduate high school, they have more valuable skills to offer the job market or future college. Although this in itself will not increase the accessibility to college, I think it makes more financial and logical sense to put money into a system that affects almost all young people rather than to put money into a flawed system that only affects the few that desire access to it.
If the government invests more money in secondary school systems rather than focusing its efforts on a “college-for-all” model, I think Americans on average would harness more skill sets and competencies. High school students would also have more options available to them following graduation due to an increase in academic rigor, professional development, and other scholarly and extracurricular activities. If we can start viewing high school as a larger milestone that prepares students for a career, or the job market in general, rather than only viewing college as the milestone that prepares students for their careers, we can help to decrease the inequality surrounding education by increasing the quality of education. Making this change would involve a lot of logistics, resources, finances, and, in some cases, an overhaul of how some high schools operate.
One of the biggest reasons why scholars discuss inequality in higher education is because college graduates earn significantly higher incomes over time as compared to those with only a high school education. However, if the government first starts to put more funding into secondary education so that students actually feel prepared to handle a career or to enter college, which would in turn allow colleges to increase their academic rigor, it could make sense then to look into a “college-for-all” model. In an ideal world, our government could invest more money in all forms of education to ensure everyone can access college who desires to and everyone who desires to is adequately prepared to complete a degree. However, since our country has limited funds, as a taxpayer, I would much rather see my money poured into high schools that all Americans attend than I would see it put towards higher education institutions that only a small percentage can access and excel in. I think revamping the high school education system could have lasting effects on the value of a college degree, the job requirements employer set, and the stigma surrounding those who choose not to attend college, in a way that opens up more opportunities for all.
A college-for-all system may work in the distant future, but I do not think it would make sense, or even create positive change, at this time.
On Higher Ed. 