Education: The Deterioration of Our Country's Most Valuable Resource

E D U C AT I O N The Deterioration of Our Country’s Most Valuable Resource

MARCH 2013

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY–IDAHO

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS.....................................................................3

POTENTIAL SOLUTION #1..................................................................4



SOURCES.....................................................................................11

WRITER 1........................................................................................12

WRITER 2........................................................................................13

WRITER 3........................................................................................14

EDITOR..........................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION

When education was first organized and implemented in the US, it started with primary education with very few going on to high school. High schools were introduced much later, yet there was a divide in academics for those planning on going to colleges and those just planning for life.

“Teaching young students was not perceived as an end goal for educated people. Adults became teachers without any particular skill except sometimes in the topic they were teaching” (History of Education). This was a great goal but over the years we have seen a decline in education.

The US began to see the inequality of their knowledge and skills compared to other countries’ business leaders, policymakers, and economists, causing them to trail behind the world in inventions and progress. The need for higher education became apparent.

In 1964 Congress passed numerous programs to help promote education, and in 1965 the Higher Education Act was passed which set up federal scholarships and low-interest loans for students pursuing higher education. The act also subsidized libraries, technical institutions and new community colleges. A similar bill was passed during that same year that specifically affected dental and medical schools.

No child left behind became the standard and motto in congress in 2002, this marked a new direction. In exchange for more federal aid the states were required to measure progress and punish schools that were not meeting the goals as measured by standardized state exams in math and language skills. By 2012 half the states were given waivers because the original goal that 100 percent students by 2014 be deemed “proficient” proved unrealistic.”

Even after decades of educational reform, progress has continued to be slow and uneven. According to a Northeastern University public opinion poll 83 percent of those polled said that higher education must happen for the United States to maintain its global leadership. This idea of higher education is meaningful for Americans, yet according to the US Census Bureau in 2007 only 34 percent of Americans 18 years of age and older at the time held a college degree.

So why is this gap so large? What is happening in our academic world that is keeping people from obtaining the higher education that everyone seem s to agree is necessary for progress?

Higher education must happen for the United States to maintain its global leadership.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

The lack of college educated workers will damage the economy. Society will always require doctors, nurses, business men, and many other skilled workers to keep the balance. Proper training and education is needed for many careers today and college is the way to get it. The investment in college education is needed to produce knowledgeable and skilled workers (Adams, 2011). “To meet the demand for more skilled workers and to reduce inequality, the number of young people attending college will need to rise from 66 percent today to 86 percent by 2025.” (Adams, 2011) The demands of our country cannot be ignored. We will see economic decline if the number attending college does not rise.

In the past 15 years the cost of getting an education has doubled, so many are fearful of finding the money for school. Many are also fearful that they will not be able to pay back student loans. Earning a college degree does not guarantee that the student will be ready for the job force or will even get a job. This creates a barrier for those that want an education, but do not feel that it will make a big difference. The fact is those with a college degree do indeed make more than those with a high school diploma.

We will see economic decline if the number attending college does not rise.

POTENTIAL SOLUTION #1

Set high expectation for high school students and help them achieve those requirements.

(US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education) Research shows that students perform better when more is expected from them and high school students need to be educated and guided as to what they will be facing in the future.

Key Components of the Program:

Rigorous curriculum – According to the National High School Alliance, rigor means “an educational experience that leads to a common outcome – that all students are well prepared for post-secondary education, career and civic life” (National High School Alliance, 2006). – Students take less rigorous classes for several reason; their school does not offer a sufficient number of classes, they do not receive clear guidance as to what classes they need to take, they are not aware they are compromising their future, in many states graduation requirements to not align with colleges and universities for college placement. – States need to bring policymakers and the K12 educators together to iron out the differences. High Schools need to create enough opportunities that each student can take advanced classes.

Educate students on reality of having to prepare for college and discuss why some fail – More than a quarter of freshman at a 4-year college returns for a second year, and nearly half of the freshman at a 2-year college do not advance. They are requiring remediation in math, reading, writing, and other basic subjects. (The High School Leadership Summit) – In high school most of the learning is done inside the classroom. This is not the case in college, and the students are not prepared for it. – Core academic classes should start to structure their curriculum to mirror college classes which leads the student to learn to learn on their own.

Counselors who have an active hand is teaching them why they should take certain courses – Garrison Walters taught at Ohio State University for 17 years. He interviewed students individually at the beginning of the quarter. When he asked the question “Why are you at the university?” the most frequent answer was “Because my parents wanted me to go” (Walters, 2010). – If the students are not being educated about their future from home, the school guidance counselor has the responsibility to take that role. – The Public Agenda report indicates that high school counselors would be flunking out of their jobs if they were graded like their students. The survey interviewed Americans, ages 22 to 30 years old, who had attended at least some college.

Here are key findings from the Public Agenda report:

67% Felt their high school counselors did a fair or poor job of helping them decide what school was right for them.

48% Felt their high school counselors saw them as just another face in the crowd.

62% Said their high school counselors did a fair or poor job helping them explore different potential careers.

54% Said their counselors did a fair or poor jobs explaining and helping them with the application process (O’Shaughnessy, 2010).

High school counselors would be flunking out of their jobs if they were graded like their students.

Have fewer options for electives and focus more on academics – In 2012 nearly 1.7 million high school graduates took the ACT college entrance exam. More than a quarter of them fell short in all four categories (Sheehy, 2012). – Math, science, reading, and writing are subjects that are studied from the earliest education, yet students are not reaching expected comprehension of these subjects. The question lies in where are they spending their “educational” time?

Identify strengths and weaknesses:

Advantages: With parents, children, and counselors all educated in the same light, everyone is on the same page and is heading in the right direction.A more guided and structure curriculum will enhance students’ skills and abilities, bettering their families and communities.

Disadvantages: You cannot make a child want to go to secondary school; it must be something they desire.Course electives have become a bright spot for students, if those are taken away or diminished, school will lose the only attention it had from some students.


Give a $25,000 grant to every college graduate.

One of the main concerns with deterioration of quality in higher education is motivation, money, and education as a whole. As a solution the government could step in and provide a grant for $25,000 to every graduating student out of high school this would help motivate the Students to achieve a higher level of education. It would be contingent upon graduating either with an Associate or Bachelor’s degree. If they graduate they would not have to pay back the 25k. However if they choose to go and drop out of school they would be required to pay back the 25k.

Key Components of the Program: All students who would want to go to college will be eligible for the grant – Unlike many scholarships based on financial situation or demographics, this would be available to all who wish to pursue higher education. – This would be available to both male and females.

Require major national government backing – This type of national program would need to be introduced in a piece of national legislature – The President of the United States would need to sign off on this new legislation. – There would need to be a major national advertising and marketing campaign in order to communicate the new legislation to all students.

Increase college preparation for graduating seniors – More emphasis would need to be placed on college credit courses so high school students can be better prepared and more motivated – There would also need to be greater importance placed on college choice and entrance exams preparation.

Funding for the new bill – Tax payers would need to be prepared for the increased taxes that will be necessary to fun the new program. – The public would also have to be encouraged to support the new program and understand the future ramifications of the program.

Evidence has shown those who receive a higher education will be more successful in the world than those who don’t. “Earnings today are not only driven by education but by the occupation you choose, ie – accounts and engineers compared to teachers or equivalent.” (Carnevale, 2013)

“Education is vital to earning a living and being successful, the more education you have the more money you will more than likely receive.” (Carnevale, 2013)

Identify strengths and weaknesses

Advantages: The greatest advantage would be that by applying some sort of motivation from the government would stimulate the economy by simply having more qualified entry level students to graduate and enter into their job or career. There would potentially be more jobs and more opportunity for growth as a country.

Disadvantage: Even though this program would stimulate the economy you can’t force students to go to college and receive a higher education. Some students would have some fall out and suffer the consequence of paying back the grant. There would be a huge disadvantage if the government would simply turn it down.


Create more flexible degree options for college students.

Flexible college degrees make it easier for more adults to seek after higher education. Online degrees and hybrid degrees make it possible for working adults to go back to school. Hybrid degrees are half online, and half in classes. This option allows for universities to have large online class sizes which make the learning process more affordable for the university and the students. Brigham Young University-Idaho has made it possible to get many degrees online, as well as many online classes available. Taking half of required credits online would allow students to work more during their schooling and make it more affordable to pay for school.

Key Components of the Program:

Creating online curriculum – Schools with successful online classes and degrees mucst be encouraged to share their experience with universities who are just starting out – The more options that are available for the students, the more available education will be for everyone

Update nationally recognized degrees – Allowing students to create a degree that best suits their future career goals will allow many students to waste less time – Broadening the requirements for different degrees or creating new recognized degrees will still allow the graduates to be employable

Make classes available to more students – Online classes are an inexpensive option for students – Workshops for credits are another underutilized option that could be explored and promoted for individuals who can’t engage in traditional schooling – Increasing night and weekend offerings is another viable option

Identify strengths and weaknesses

Advantages: The biggest advantage that this program has over other programs is that it can be implemented over a long period of time and regularly analyzed and improved upon. This would not have a specific timetable or require a large amount of government or community support.

Disadvantage: This is one solution that would be uneven from university to university. Because the implementation would be done individually from school to school the quality of the classes and the regulation of the classes could vary immensely. This may potentially put extra strain on good programs and therefore overload a particular university.

Flexible college degrees make it easier for more adults to seek after higher education.

SOURCES

History of Education in the United States, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_ of_Education_in_the_United_States

Walters, G. The real challenge for higher education, Inside Higher Ed, July 15, 2010

O’Shaughnessy, L. CBS Money Watch, High school counselors: The weakest link, March 3, 2010

Sheehy, K. High school students not prepared for college, US News, August 22, 2012

Carnevale, A.P., Rose, S.J., Cheah, B. The college payoff. Georgetown University. Web. March 15, 2013. http://cew.georgetown.edu/collegepayoff/)

www.corestandards.org

www.nchems.org

www.whatshouldcount.org

APPENDIX

WRITER 1: JULIE-ANN SLIVKA

My name is Julie-Ann Slivka and I am a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I was born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah. I am currently juggling a full-time job, the last few classes of my Business Management degree, and planning my wedding. I love taking college courses which proves to myself that I am a smart, competent woman that can accomplish anything I put my mind and energy towards.

Selection of the Issue:

The suggested of studying the lack of higher education came from my frustration of dating young men that fit this category. Their lack of higher education and skill set kept them from being able to support a future family, from taking responsibility for their future, and for contributing to society. My personal experiences and frustrations are what drew me to this.

Team member tasks:

I researched the history and background of higher education and included that in the introduction of our issue book. I also proposed a solution for the issue at hand.

Personal Reflection:

It has taken me 8 years after my Associates Degree to finish my Bachelors degree. I did not see that I was part of the issue at hand. I was contributing to society in my own way, but I finally came to recognize the importance of learning different skill sets, knowledge, and the ability to learn that comes with a collegiate degree. Personally, I see the problem starting in the home while teenagers are young. Most of them do not understand or think for themselves the consequences to their lack of decisions.

WRITER 2: BRYCEN TAYLOR

My name is Brycen Taylor. I am from a small town called Rigby Idaho. I have been going to school for what seems like forever. I am nearing my graduation in July of this year and look forward to this opportunity. I am a father of two with another one on the way. I am studying healthcare administration and am looking forward to going to graduate school hopefully in the fall.


I think as a team we came together to figure on something that would be important and a pressing issue in today’s time. I’m not quite sure what drew us to the topic but I do know that as a student you can see that there is a huge matter in the world of education.

Team member tasks:

I was able to contribute and outline, strategic research, gathering resources, conducted an interview, and created a solution that would better the situation if it was to work.


I think the biggest thing that I experienced was the interview. I think in asking the questions and receiving the responses that I did it really put things into perspective for me that there is a huge problem with those not getting to receive a higher education or even the quality of it. Most of the students coming out of high school aren’t as prepared as they should be. I think the biggest problem that we see even in the economics of things is that students aren’t returning back to society educated. A lot of the students are giving up half way. The quality is definitely deteriorating at rapid rate. My thoughts about this is what simply what can I do to help contribute to this issue? I often think that I am a little fish in a big pond but I have central purpose. That purpose is to graduate as an educated individual and give back to help those that may not be as fortunate as me.

WRITER 3: KATIE LISONBEE

Katie Lisonbee is a senior at Brigham Young University – Idaho. As a major in Health Science she hopes to educate communities on important health topics in the future. She was born and raised in Southern California. Katie loves the outdoors and loves to have fun with her family and friends.


This topic is important to our team because we see the positive impact that higher education can have on a person’s life. We know the benefits, so when we see that others are not taking advantage or don’t have those opportunities we wanted to do something.

Team member tasks:

The ramification section of this issue was my assignment as writer #3. It was my responsibility to do research for the problems that this issue causes. The solution #3 was also my responsibility.


The lack of higher education is much more of a problem than I originally thought it was. I knew that many people were unprepared and under funded for attending college, but I thought the largest problem was that people could not get jobs even with degrees. What I found was that even though there are problems with higher education in its current format the need for more individuals with higher education is much more important than those current issues. The issues that really need to be addressed first is how to remove the barriers individuals have to get to an institution of higher learning.

EDITOR: MICHAEL MECHAM

My name is Michael Mecham. I grew up in Sugar City, Idaho and began attending BYU-Idaho in 2006. I served a mission from 2007 to 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. I returned to BYU-Idaho where I met my wife Aimee Fisher who is a Rexburg local. We got married June 25, 2011. I graduate in April and after graduation I will be taking my entrance exam for the Air Force Officer training program. I hope to eventually earn my PhD in Organizational Behavior.


As students of BYU-Idaho and future parents and scholars, the deterioration of education in the United States is a major concern to us personally and on a national level. The lack of quality education will make us less employable, but will also limit our country’s respect and efficiency on the world stage. The declining focus on education is a major concern for all current, future and past students and should be regularly addressed and reviewed.

Team member tasks:

As the Editor I did my best to understand the project completely and answer any team members’ questions. I also encouraged people in a specific direction if they needed help and offered resources and clarification if a team member was struggling with a specific task. I also edited reviewed and compiled the book.


My parents are both high school teachers and my in-laws and both college professors. I have grown up and continue to be surrounded by education discussions. I talked with my parents a little bit about this topic when we first decided on it and they had some interesting insights. They talked about how they are handicapped in their jobs because of families. They mentioned that five or ten years ago if a student got an assignment and didn’t get it done or did it poorly the parents would come in and ask “What can my child do about it,” but now they more often come in and ask “What are you going to do about it?” The lack of respect for authority and the importance of education in society have a huge influence on the amount of time and energy that is put into it.

This lack of energy is reflected locally and nationally. When I served my mission I was able to teach a Korean couple and when I told them that my parents were teachers they said, “You must be very prosperous.” I wasn’t sure what they meant, but then a member who had served his mission in Korea said that teachers over there are very well paid because without teachers, you don’t have any other professions. I was reminded about this during the latest Idaho elections when new education laws were voted on. There obviously needs to be reform, but in the state and nationally people don’t seem to care enough to come up with a viable option. The lack of education’s importance is regularly reflected as educational funding continues to be cut. While reading a little about this topic and having it on my mind so much, it has led me to think that education won’t change until society changes and until there is enough national attention on it that people will actually start to work on it. My only fear is that it will take a traumatic experience for that to occur. I hope that it doesn’t and that things will change, but with so many other pressing matters in the government, its no wonder why some of our great leaders can’t spend some time worrying about how one of their constituent’s education is getting along. I look forward to the time that a new emphasis is placed on education, and hope that it comes sooner and without calamity, rather than later and with it.

Education: The Deterioration of Our Country's Most Valuable Resource

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