Parents, colleges and political figures have told children that they should go to college and they will receive high paying jobs. But increasingly that is not happening for many college graduates. Part of the problem, obviously is the weak economy and the highest unemployment rate for those ages 16-29 since World War II.
But a recent study published by the Association for American Colleges and Universities, “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses”, places the blame elsewhere. The report places the blame on what is being taught. The report states that colleges and universities are not teaching basic skills. If the students are to succeed, student achievement must be raised state 87 percent of employers. Sixty-three percent say that recent college graduates do not have the skills they need to succeed. And in a different study, employers say that entry-level writing skills are deficient. Gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills are either “exceedingly small or non-existent for a larger proportion of students.”
The nonprofit American Council of Trustees and Alumni has rated schools according to how many core subjects are required. A review of more than 1,000 colleges and universities found that 29 percent of schools require two or fewer subjects. Only 5 percent require economics. Less than 20 percent require U.S. government or history.
A recent Roper Organization study found that nearly half of recent graduates don’t think they got their money’s worth from attending college.
Many colleges continue to build dorms with flat-screen televisions, tanning salons and new stadiums. With the added costs entailed in going to college, it would appear that the money should be used to improve the rigor of studies for the students, their parents and the nation.