The Governor of Arizona is proposing some legislation that would allow students who maintain a B or higher average in high school to get free tuition at state universities and community colleges.
Wonderful…except aren’t the kids that tend to get those kinds of grades normally from the wealthier families and therefore maybe don’t need quite as much help paying for their education? Potentially.
I’m all for doing whatever we can to cap the costs of the big 4 year degree that is pretty much becoming mandatory to get your average entry level job these days but I can’t help being slightly offended at the thought that the kids with the higher grades are going to pay less for the education in a country where the difference in the education provided in the rich areas of the country is so much better than the education provided in the poorer areas.
But I bet the upper class voters will eat up that bill.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
It may be true that some of those who get a’s and b’s are from wealthier families. I also think those who get better grades are from families that, no matter what their income level , value and promote education for THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDLREN. Perhaps a law like you mentioned would convince lower income parents to support education even if it was not for the most positive reasons.
I think that a public two or four year college education will become completely paid for by taxes (like high school is now) and handled like 2 or 4 more years of education ….years 13, 14, 15, and 16 and be vocationally driven.
I also advocate year round school with extended vacations periodically scheduled so that school buildings , equipment and resources are used all year.
With such a small portion of the US population graduating with a 4-year degree, I think we need to work on getting more kids in school– no matter what their background. I know I could have used a scholarship/subsidy like that when I was in school. I paid for it myself. I am a first-generation graduate. My parents are/were poor. Yet, I made all As and Bs. OK. I had a C in one class, but I freaked out!
Anyway, unfortunately, there are a lot of kids from upper class families whose parents are not involved other than (maybe) writing a tuition check and/or driving them to school, and those kids are probably not making As and Bs. Parental involvement and a whole host of social factors go in to the equation– including a determined student– to make it happen.
Personally, I don’t know that government subsidized education is really that good of an idea in the first place. Private schools do a better job, and often with fewer resources than a public school. I often think I would rather home school my children than send them to public school. (sorry if I offend any school teachers – it’s not you, it’s the system)
As for publicly funded higher education….again, I think those who really want an education can and will earn it. I did. I come from a very poor background, but I earned scholarshps, took out loans, and worked part time to pay for college.
good post, though. important stuff that needs to be discussed
Let me throw this out there:
Should a kid that takes really easy classes and get’s a B average get to go to college for free while a kid that takes harder classes but happens to dip just below a B not? If it is really going to be an achievement based state funded scholarship, what are the guidelines for how difficult of high school course work would be required. I can see kids that might be borderline honors class type students backing off into the regular classes just to keep their GPA safe.
Anyway, I’m all for college being much more affordable (preferably across the board) but I would also like to see it a little more career training focused instead of predominately advanced information gathering so that when kids graduated college with their very expensive degree they actually were qualified to maybe do something besides entry level positions.
I totally agree that higher education needs to be more focused on training students for careers. Some colleges that focus on training teachers have made strides to do this (I have been involved in this with two local colleges..one public- one private) I’m sure more focus would be helpful.
Other fields outside teaching…I don’t know how they are doing on this.
I am a retired teacher who believes that public education is preferable to private. I also do not believe that most of the home schoolers are doing as good a job as a public school could do. I also believe that some public school systems need lots of improvement but that problem is bigger than the school system. I wish I knew the whole answer.
It would be interesting to see the numbers for standardized tests for public school vs. home schooled kids. Most of the people I know who were home schooled were outstanding college students.
I also disagree with the idea of college being a vocational training course. There’s a lot to be said for a “liberal arts” education. I studied theatre in college, and now work for a company that has nothing to do with my degree. I make more money than everyone I went to college with (except one guy) and am very happy.
The open education of a liberal arts degree allows you to develop critical thinking skills and a whole brained way of looking at the world.
Once again, I don’t think that school should be free (I know, it’s not, we pay taxes). People study harder when they have to work for something.
Great comments everyone. I love discussions like this.
I mention more career oriented training but also believe in the basics being required as well as the arts. You are right…. a well rounded educated adult will be a better citizen, parent and employee. There can be a combination appropriate to student goals.
I was just sitting down to write basically what Cory said. There is inherent value in education at all levels, IMO, and a liberal arts education is important. I do not think that Universities should be technical training grounds, but rather a place to learn the theories and practice critical thinking!
My family is a blending of public and homeschool education. I went to a small public school, and because my hometown and school were small, I feel like I received an excellent education.
My husband was homeschooled, and while he is very bright, his academic weaknesses are the same as his mothers (she did the teaching).
We currently live in Tulsa, where most of the public schools are not very good, so our son will probably go to private school. He’s only 1, so it is hard to say for sure.
I think each situation (re: public, private, homeschool) is unique, and all options should remain available to suit the various needs of our society.
Sorry– I forgot one thing. To answer BAGD’s question about course loads.
Some of that would/should be regulated by the requirements to attend. For example, I had to have so many hours of English, certain levels of math, etc completed to attend the University I chose. BUT– if they are going to award a “scholarship” like the one in AZ, I would hope that there would be the same or similar set of requirements, because taking pottery and baking do not prepare you for University level work. I know it was one frustration I had with my class ranking in high school. I took advanced classes and a few taking Math with Applications, Cooking, and Pottery were in front of me. It drove me nuts!