Here is the link to it.
I commented as follows:
The point about college completion rates between generations is greatly magnified by two factors. In that same time period, (1) amount of time studying has decreased by 35%, though grades have gone up, with only 20% now studying as much as students did 30 years ago; and, (2) Various tests for improved critical thinking show a rate of gain today of half of what it was 30 years ago. (From the book “Academically Adrift”.)
So, the decrease in the education rate is worse than the completion – or even degree – rate. Why? It’s not a coincidence that the highly regarded Clark Kerr, wrote in 1980 that, “…This shift from academic merit to student consumerism is one of the two greatest reversals of direction in all the history of American higher education..” In the same year, David Riesman, the famous sociologist, wrote, “…advantage can still be taken of [students] by unscrupulous instructors and institutions..Like any other interest group, the student estate often does not grasp its own interests, and those who speak in its name are not always its friends…”
As a former professor who taught mathematics at an “elite” university, I have seen this in action, and those who carry out the “consumer” plan seem to have read Riesman’s statement as a guide for how to carry out their mission of improving prestige and revenue, without worrying about education.
It will take awareness and political will for this to change. There are many vested interests in keeping the system the same.
Recent Comments