Here's a link about the graduation rates for college students in Minnesota. Overall, it looks like about 32% of private college students, and about 50% of public college students, fail to graduate within six years--statistics which more or less parallel the fact that about 30% of students are taking remedial courses.
While it is certainly true that not every student who takes remedial courses fails to graduate, it does suggest that a great way to save about 30-50% of the $2.8 billion our state spends on higher education each year would be to eliminate remedial courses in our government-run universities--not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars more in loan guarantees, Pell grants, and so on.
I don't know about you, but I certainly could put that $500 or so that my family "contributes" to the creation of college dropouts to a better use.
Senator Mitchell: DFL, Woodbury
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MInnesotans: “Judd Hoff. Matt Roznowski. Julie Blaha. John Thompson. Dan
Wolgamott. Brion Curran. Andy Smith. Can the DFL get any more depraved?”
Minnesota...
1 hour ago
4 comments:
rrrrright, and that $500 is going to go back into your pocket?
Keep dreamin, man. :)
My thoughts on this topic are, "There but for the grace of God go I." I feel it is impossible to anticipate the circumstances that bring a person to the point of dropping out, or to the point of needing remedial courses. Some these reasons deserve our scorn, but others are people genuinely trying to better themselves despite the hand that was dealt them or the choices they regret, and sometimes their best just isn't good enough. Without the grants etc., though, none of these people will even get the chance to turn their life around.
I can sympathize with some of these people, since I am going back to school after ten years out. Now I'll admit that I'm in grad school, not undergrad, but the fact remains that I've forgotten some of the things I learned and am at a disadvantage to my classmates because of it. If there were remedial classes in differential equations, for instance, I'd be first in line.
I can also think of several situations that may force me to drop out even after all of the sacrifices I've made to return to school and despite my best intentions. If for instance my wife died in a car wreck or something, I'd probably have to drop out to afford daycare for my two kids. Lots of college students are single parents, and sometimes their situation just becomes unmanageable--is that a good reason to remove the assistance that enables them to try in the first place?
Take care you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. There are indeed a lot of deadbeats in the colleges, but I feel your draconian cure is worse than the disease. Perhaps a version that restricts easy access to the top-tier public universities while giving free access to the second-tier schools might accomplish your purpose without the problems I see.
Joe, the change that I'd recommend making is simple; if you cannot do pre-calculus mathematics or freshman writing/rhetoric, you can take them at a community college if you really want to get a four year degree.
For what it's worth, one estimate of the eight year (!) graduation rate of students needing remedial math & English is 17%, vs. nearly 60% for those not needing it. It sounds all nice and good to let them come "to the U" despite being more or less unprepared, but is it really a kindness to marginal students to almost certainly make them into college dropouts, instead of encouraging them to learn a trade?
Personally, I don't think so, and evidently 11 states have agreed to some extent.
Yeah, I can buy that. There does need to be a minimum competency for admission to a four-year school.
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