The number of students completing high school has reached historic peaks, yet other measures of academic readiness for college or jobs are much lower.
Source: As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fear Diplomas Come Up Short – The New York Times
I tried to explain.
From a former math professor, here is the sorry story in a nutshell. (It’s much worse than most people could ever imagine.)
Please follow this carefully.
First, major universities (not unlike the one where I recently taught, Wash. U. in St. Louis) are motivated to grant math PhD’s to totally unqualified candidates. (By “unqualified” I don’t mean that they don’t meet some high standard, I mean, “Are you kidding me?”. Look at my blog, inside-higher-ed , for examples.)
Second, these unqualified PhD’s become unqualified professors at state regional schools. (I taught at one once and give examples on my blog.)
Third, many high school teachers go to state regional schools to learn their subject; but, given their professors, they don’t have a chance.
Finally, we get high school teachers who have little choice but to pass their students without teaching them because those teachers don’t have the tools to teach well – and it all started with the “highly regarded” colleges, the ones that are making out like bandits in this system. (That’s because their “customers” are naïve, and politicians like Lamar Alexander work hard to make sure that they are never held accountable. See my blog for how Vanderbilt worked with him.)
That’s it in a nutshell, and it is highly destructive.
Recent Comments