by Alison Oehmen
There is a rather confounding dynamic currently at play
when it comes to our country’s views on education. Popular opinion would categorize
our colleges and universities as top-tier institutions. In contrast, however,
for many years now, the condition of the United States’ K–12 system has
preoccupied many as a pressing and disconcerting issue. So are we donning
rose-colored glasses when we turn our attention to higher education?
Recent
statistics suggest we are, as the problems we see in elementary, middle and
high schools carry through to higher institutions. It is indeed true that, according
to global university rankings, most of the world’s best universities are
located in the United States. The catch, however, is that these international
rankings predominantly use statistics about an institution’s research work and
staff rather than undergrad performance or the caliber of education being
provided. The disconnect, therefore, occurs because we are comparing different
sets of data: the academic performance of a wide range of K–12 students versus
the research performance and staff qualifications for a few collegiate
institutions.
What happens if we approach the subject from an apples-to-apples
standpoint, then? The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
published the results of the 2011–2012 Programme for the International
Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). This test, designed to measure
literacy and math skills in real-world contexts, showed America’s scores consistently
bringing up the rear. While 18 percent of American adults with bachelor’s
degrees scored within the top two levels of numeracy, the international average
of 24 percent outstripped that figure. Moreover, we ranked 16th out of the 24
countries tested in literacy. So, on average, we’re looking a little haggard in
relation to our counterparts abroad.
Part of the problem can be attributed to some of the
troubling trends taking place within the United States’ higher education
system. Between government cutbacks, increases in foreign competition and
tuition costs, and decreases in graduation rates and education quality, it’s no
wonder that our once gold
standard of education has become a little tarnished of late. A veritable perfect
storm has been brewing, and we are beginning to experience the fallout from it.
The drop in financial backing has dealt a significant
blow to our nation’s colleges and universities. As a result, deficient funding
has driven tuitions sky-high, which has, in turn, driven students away from the
college track. Thus, even if the United States were offering the best
educational opportunities on average, the astronomical and ever-climbing cost
of such opportunities could soon make them irrelevant. After all, if most or
many cannot afford to take advantage, then the benefits are virtually immaterial.
Meanwhile, elsewhere around the world, billions are
being invested into higher education systems, most notably in Asia and the
Middle East. As a result, the world’s best and brightest have more of an option
now to receive top-notch educations in their home countries. As Robert Berdahl,
the head of the Association of American Universities (AAU), pointed out, “the
fact is—and this was flat out stated to me by a leading educator in China—‘You
used to get our best students; now we keep our best students.’”
So, as we pour all of our efforts into troubleshooting
the pre-college system, we leave the higher education system to largely fend
for itself. While we assess and compile copious data on K–12 student knowledge,
no corresponding network exists to assess the skills following college
graduation. It seems most skills assessments take place internally within each
individual institution. This island-unto-itself methodology likewise affects
graduates once they enter the job market. According to a 2009 Association of
American Colleges and Universities (AACU) survey
of employers [PDF link], while most of the 302 polled employers looked to
hire only college-grad candidates, a mere 28 percent of them felt confident that
our higher ed system prepares students adequately for the workforce.
The good news, though, is that this issue is gaining
more attention. Our rose-colored glasses are coming off, and people are
beginning to discuss and explore more deeply the state of America’s higher
education system. As with all things, finding a solution here—or at least
making improvements—begins with awareness and diagnosis of the problem. My
research into this topic reassures me that we are at least that far into the
process of reassessment and correction, which makes me think there is
definitely hope for us yet.
Did You Know?
A woman named Fatima
al-Fihri founded the world’s oldest university in the year 859. Following
her father’s death, al-Fihri dedicated her inheritance to building a mosque in
her community of Fez, Morocco. The mosque was accompanied by a madrasa (a
mosque school) wherein patrons could receive religious instruction as well as education
in such subjects as grammar, mathematics, music and the natural sciences.
Although it wasn’t officially incorporated into the Moroccan educational system
until 1963, the University
of al-Karaouine nevertheless makes an appearance in the Guinness World Records book as the
world’s oldest continuously operating university.
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