http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/college-degree-required-by-increasing-number-of-companies.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130220
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"You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" (Donald Trump)
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As Catherine Rampell says at the start of her article in today's nytimes.com, "The college degree is becoming the new high school diploma: the new minimum requirement, albeit an expensive one, for getting even the lowest-level job."
She refers to a law firm in Atlanta that hires only people with a bachelor's degree, even for jobs that do not require college-level skills: receptionists, paralegals, administrative assistants and file clerks.
Economists refer to this as "degree inflation." So, this "up-credentialing" is pushing the less educated down the food chain. And, the unemployment rates reflect this: no more than a high school diploma - 8.1%. Bachelor's degree - 3.7% (January, 2013).
In 2011, the median male college graduate earned 1.95 times as much as the median male whose highest educational attainment was a high school diploma (in 1991, that ratio was 1.76).
While there are all sorts of interpretations of this data, my thought is that the college graduate occupying a $37,000 per year job (with $100,000 in education debt) is being compared statistically
to the high school graduate who has no job because the college graduate is actually in the high school graduate's job. Why, because we have produced more college graduates than the U.S. market needs. So, we are "long" on college graduates. Yet, we are "short" on "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) jobs. Hopefully, I'm close on what "STEM" means. I hate those catchy little terms.
I think that's because we don't know how to teach Math and Science anymore - in high school! And then, we have students coming into college who can't write either. So, what educational outcome is being produced by our high schools and colleges?
I have a fond memory of my high school Biology (I think it was called "College Biology") teacher (Sophomore Year) who was the equivalent of a Marine Corps Drill Instructor. I hated the guy. If you didn't know your homework, he embarrassed you. (I went to a big suburban coed high school - I didn't want to be "embarrassed.") I did everything and stayed up studying. Two things happened: I got a 95 in the course and a 95 on the New York Sate Regents' Exam. In New York, it didn't matter what your grade was in the course in high school. If you couldn't pass the state exam, you failed the course and took it over again.
I think today's approach to high school education is that we all sit around the campfire and sing songs. Then, we get promoted to the next grade with no skills and no knowledge.
Something has to change.
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I don't think teachers can teach anything really. Most of the classes are being geared towards standardized state exams. These exams are not even like AP, IB or SAT exams. Often times teachers have no idea what's on the exams or how to prepare the students! At least with the upper level classes, material is standard, albeit more difficult! When helping my brother, I google a lot of the questions because even I don't know how to answer them.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's enough incentive to be a teacher. If you are extremely intelligent and savvy, why would you settle for a job that pays only $35-50K a year? There are also a lot of teachers that experience burnout from dealing with administrative hurdles and quit after a few years.
I find myself frustrated and puzzled as to how some teachers try to teach classes that they don't have sufficient knowledge. I myself experienced this in high school. My chemistry teacher was hired as a soccer coach, but most coaches end up teaching science. He had no idea how to teach, and would borrow material from other chemistry teachers to teach us. Was he a good soccer coach? From what I heard, yes. Was he a good chemistry teacher? Hello No. Terrible!
He was not the only example. Luckily, I didn't have to go through this more than once, but my brother is going through it. From what I remember 1/3 of science and math teachers were coaches.
Don't get me wrong. There are some mighty good teachers out there trying to make a difference. Unfortunately, they are a minority.
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