President Obama’s Stimulus Bill: Are We Dummying Down our Children?

In our rush to ensure that the US remains competitive with the rest of the world in having a highly trained workforce, I am concerned that we may be doing a disservice to the next generation of “degreed” workers.

The number one topic in many political circles is the enormous “Stimulus Funding” coming out of Washington. Billions of dollars have been allocated to fund education, green projects and job retooling programs. As local politicians, school boards and colleges gear up for this influx of “much anticipated funding”, the debate begins on what programs or training approaches will be funded. To meet the need and demand, many schools are expanding short-term certificate programs and online studies circumventing many of the traditional liberal arts and basic skills requirements. Part of the reason is to provide less expensive ways of training individuals with a quicker turn around period. Online training reduces the need for classroom space and allows large numbers of students to enroll and learn at their convenience. Many of the programs, offered through proprietary schools, continuing education programs and community colleges, require minimum education and assume the student will have access to a computer as well as have the motivation and drive to study independently.

I can appreciate the demand for skilled workers, especially if we are going to compete globally. I also know that every student is not looking for a college degree. But, I believe that we are overlooking the fact that college has become for many students the “finishing school”, preparing them to take on the demands and responsibilities of full time employment. A number of formal surveys of Human Resource managers have found that few companies in corporate America believe that the average high school graduate is adequately prepared to work for them right out of high school.

The policies supporting “No Child Left Behind” required schools across the nation to divert educational funding for remedial courses that would prepare students to meet the minimal competencies required statewide. If physical education, music and art programs, enrichment courses and AP budgets were reduced, so be it. Schools faced with losing their accreditation and independence were forced to focus their efforts on seeing that their students pass these tests. The schools that suffered the most from having high percentages of poor achieving students and high drop out rates were the same schools that had to stop alternative programs that addressed teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol awareness, gang violence and college prep initiatives that worked to keep students in school and out of trouble.

Across this nation, there are high school grads who have reading levels and math levels that fall significantly below grade. While students may be more computer literate, reading comprehension and writing skills are deficient. Problem solving and logic has been supplanted by rote learning and an inadequate foundation in literature, history and the sciences. Many of these students know little about government and would have difficulty identifying countries on a map. While they may have learned the fifty state capitals, they may be unfamiliar with the location of the fifty states.

Although, many of these topics may not come up in the midst of doing a job, education is supposed to give individuals information and the background to think and adequately problem solve based on the information they have on hand. Often, we have to extrapolate that information from other sources and be able to identify when there is a discrepancy. This can only happen if the person has been sufficiently exposed to a wide variety of information. Reading becomes extremely important when we need to gain new information. How does a person build on their knowledge if they are unable to gain that knowledge through written material? Training methods tend to focus on learning the job by rote memorization of a procedure or series of steps without understanding the science or technology behind it.

Have you ever gone into your favorite fast food store and confused the cashier by either giving them change to get back a bill or asked for something not preprinted on one of the keys? Have you ever called customer service and had a confused person on the line reading a script and unable to understand your questions? Did you ever read a memo or email that didn’t make sense?

That type of training may be sufficient on paper and in the classroom, but in the real world, it falls short. Of course, you can put the responsibility for trouble shooting on the supervisor, but in every day work environments, employees are often asked to improvise, take on new jobs or supervise others with little to no supervision.

If it were just a matter of work performance, I could leave the problem to the employers who will need to weed out those workers barely competent. But as an educator, I believe this trend is short-sighted and has the potential to create more long-term problems.

Regardless of the training program employed, the most important factor is the effectiveness of the teaching approach. Most recently, the most popular trend for education and training has been via online course instruction. The approach not only offers convenience to students who can study from the comfort of their homes but is fairly inexpensive to the school and is able to accommodate large numbers of students. This approach appeals to both entering freshmen, part-time working students and adults returning to school. The question is whether or not this is the most successful way of teaching students. Although the upside is the convenience and availability, learning outside of a classroom environment poses its own unique challenges. Most courses require that the student complete a number of required online modules that may or may not be accompanied by programmed testing. This work is completed independently and then submitted to the instructor for feedback. In order to keep up with course requirements the student must possess a great deal of self discipline and structure. While there is usually opportunity to ask questions, it is often not in real time when the student needs to understand what he/she is reading or working on.

Compare this to the more traditional lecture hall college experience. The professor lectures as the students take notes. This lecture may be presented with straight lecture, demonstration, visual display or class discussion. Students are encouraged to ask questions and the student present has the benefit of asking questions and listening to other questions and explanations. Class discussion or debate affords further analysis of the material and alternative ways of understanding the material. Class also affords opportunity to meet and work with other classmates, to work on group projects, form study groups or continue discussions outside of class. Access to the library, labs and other sources of support and assistance further the student’s understanding of the material. This is not the case when a student studies at home. There are many distractions at home and most students find it hard to dedicate as much time to their studies as needed because of competing priorities. Students are far more likely to drop out of class if they are having problems because of a lack of support.

So how does this dummy down our kids?

Here is an opportunity to put some real money behind education and training programs that will ensure that our kids are competitive with the rest of the world. Right? But, in our rush to do this, we are looking for quick fixes and ignoring the deficiencies we have in our system. This funding is not going to be used to address the discrepancy in educational funding in inner city and suburban school districts. It is not going to address the complex systemic problems that plague the poor and inner city resident. It is not going to fund comprehensive programs that will truly encourage a P-16 educational approach. Because we are looking at making an impact now, that will expediently turn out a workforce for the future, training programs and community college programs will receive the lion’s share of the funding. Rather than address the increasing cost of a college education, alternative, shorter term programs will be offered, especially to those students who cannot afford the more expensive liberal arts education. (Interestingly, many of these programs, while shorter in duration, lasting on average 6 to 18 months, are more expensive on a “per credit” or “hour” basis.)

I also am concerned that this two-tier system of education, job training versus traditional liberal arts education, will cause further stratification of workers and class. The college-educated individuals will earn significantly more money than job-specific trained individuals in the same way that vocational education prepared individuals do jobs that are now being phased out, outsourced or replaced by technology. This form of education would not contribute to the growth of a more inclusive upwardly mobile work force, but rather reinforce some of the old distinctions between the elite and working class.

I believe that President Obama’s vision that ensures that all citizens have access to higher education is not reflected in the emphasis on training. His own story reflects that of being the son of two students who believed that education was the means to achieve in this society. When he went to college, he did not have a clear vision of the job he would end up with or the specific skills he would need. He used his education to broaden his knowledge base and understanding of the world and his experiences to forge career goals. And along the way, he realized that he could achieve what few people with his background would ever have thought they could have achieved.

Education is a lifelong process. It is a right that many slaves and immigrants and women fought for with the belief that education could be the great equalizer. While it is important that education always be relevant and meaningful, it is more than just a “means to an end.” Every society has made enormous strides once it made education available to all of its citizens. The greatest thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs and leaders have benefited from learning, not just in how to do business or perform a procedure or understand complex science but in their understanding of the world, its history, culture and science. To remain competitive, we must not abandon our traditions of a liberal arts education, but rather broaden its scope, make it affordable and ensure that all students are able to gain access to it.

A Dream Deferred...at What Price?

(NOTE: Although this blog is lengthy, it is worth reading in its entirety!)

If you’re like most people out there, you’ve got to be tired of hearing about how bad the economy is. The rising cost of gas and home heating oil as well as increases in food, air fare and goods is through the roof. There are few places one can go without seeing evidence of increasing costs. The other day I walked into a pizza parlor that had a sign apologizing up front for the increased cost of pizza due to increases in the price of flour. That 2.00 dollar slice now cost 3.00 dollars. The next thing you know, a White Castle slider would cost as much as a Big Mac. (And I remember when they were 12 cents.)

Aside from the rising cost of fast food, which I am reminded is not good for me anyway, for many of you the most obvious increase has been in college tuition. It’s bad enough that the cost of a college education has gone up, but when students are unable to obtain loans to make up the difference, there is a big problem. While many students over the years have accepted the fact that college is expensive and will require more family contributions and the added indebtedness caused by federal and private loans, being turned down for a loan greatly reduces one’s options for affording college. Now when you consider the fact that private loans have become the middle class solution for financing a private college education, any change in the availability of loans has the potential to affect millions of college bound students this Fall. Each day I talk with undergrads, adults returning to school, parents and med students who report no longer qualifying for loans although they were able to obtain them in previous years. Many students enrolled in college programs expecting to finance their education by taking loans. Many now find themselves without adequate funding to enroll in school this year. What happens to their dreams? They are further faced with a predicament: dropping out of school means immediate repayment of loans after the 6 month grace period. Taking loans intending to repay them after earning a degree is much easier than having to do so without a degree.

So what happened? How did we get to this place? Private loans have always been a higher risk for lenders. Offering loans to college students with little to no credit history based on the assumption that completion of a college degree will enable them to pay off that debt, while not flawed in thinking, is no guarantee. Unlike the Stafford and Direct loan programs guaranteed by the federal government, private loans enjoy no such guarantee. These loans are financed by banks or private loan originators in ways similar to mortgage financing. As the credit markets collapsed this Spring in response to increasing foreclosures in the sub prime market, other credit markets were inadvertently affected, driving interest rates through the roof, scaring off investors on Wall Street and bankrupting lenders who lost sources for funding loans. In addition, consolidation loans were no longer profitable to lenders and, as a result, became unavailable this Spring. Decreased profits on federally guaranteed loans as well as no liquidity in the market further reduced the number of lenders that offered loans and significantly reduced if not eliminated the borrower benefits offered to students. As a result, many banks, credit unions, private and non profit lenders have either left the business or seriously curtailed their loan offerings The lenders who remained in the space have had to become more selective by raising credit criteria to reduce risk and maximize profit. Many lenders have chosen to focus their marketing on private and large state universities rather than community colleges, proprietary schools as well as those schools with high cohort default rates. (The rate of default on college loans amongst graduate or attendees of a particular school) And if you happen to be a student attending one of those schools, a good credit rating may not help if your school is not on the approved list.

Now try explaining this to a third year med student or first year college freshman. It is a tough job! I have spent over 30 years encouraging high school students, rich, middle class and poor to pursue their dreams, to plan on attending college and now I fear that the poor kids and many of the middle class kids will think that a college education is beyond their reach. It seems like we’re undoing all of the progress gained in the last 50 years.

At one time, it was the richest and smartest individuals who could plan on attending school. It wasn’t until the late forties and fifties that a new generation of people were able to attend school on the GI Bill. The sixties added to these numbers with a growth in state funded college programs making college affordable to middle class and working students. In NYC, a student could attend CUNY for free. Whether you saw college as a means of avoiding the draft or bettering your chances in life, college was a bargain that all but the very poor were taking advantage of. As federal grants like the BEOG (what we now call PELL) and DSL loans came on the scene, the dream of a college education was one that could be shared by large numbers of students like myself entering college as first generations in the 70’s.

Now fast forward to the present. The average cost of public college can be as much as 25,000 dollars for tuition, room and board. At a private school, the cost of tuition room and board can be in excess of 40,000 dollars. While the PELL grant and Federal loan programs are still available, the average grant award and maximum loan amount is not sufficient to cover the cost of a college education. This is where private loans have played the role in bridging the gap in funding. Unless alternative resources are found to fund loans, students who rely on these loans will have few alternatives. These alternatives may not be possible: Reduce college tuition, (Highly unlikely given the growth of tuition in both public and private colleges); Find alternative ways of paying for school; or Change expectations about college and how one will obtain a degree.

In response to high costs, many students may consider enrolling in community colleges or seek admission to technical, vocational and on line programs that offer certificate and associate degree programs which can be completed in a shorter period of time. While this may be a good alternative, there are pros and cons to do this. Community colleges are inexpensive alternatives for career training and associate degrees. Unfortunately, many of these schools still struggle for recognition of their programs, acceptance of their degrees and courses for transfer credit for their graduates. In addition, these schools will need more funding to accommodate the growing number of applicants. This may inadvertently affect those students who may find themselves locked out of school because the school is taking the more academically prepared students, leaving less room for less competitive students.

At the same time, many of the “For Profit” schools that offer specific career prep programs charge tuition that is significantly higher than community colleges. These schools rely heavily on federal and private loans to finance their high cost. These schools have fought for recognition and accreditation by the state and DOE in order to qualify for federal education programs. Many of these schools have not been approved to participate in the federal or private loan programs because of a lack of accreditation or higher cohort default rates. Interestingly, the groups most vocal in voicing concern about the loan unavailability are community colleges and proprietary schools who are the most affected by the situation.

It is hard to convince a poor student that college is affordable when they can’t get a loan to meet the costs. Why bother? The problem is that not having a college degree in 2008 makes upward mobility far less likely than in 1960. The job landscape looked very different back then. Unions were strong, a person could feel secure in having some measure of job security and home ownership was possible for both middle and working class families. This is no longer the case. Today we are faced with an economy that has seen lay offs in all sectors of business, retail, finance, manufacturing, automobiles and service. Plant closings have devastated many towns and cities across the nation, outsourcing the remaining jobs to workers in China, India and the Philippines. The jobs left for unskilled workers may offer sub standard wages, little to no benefits, and provide few opportunity for advancement and upward mobility. In other words, if you’re lucky enough to land that job rounding up carts at Wal-Mart, that may be the best you can do without having the benefit of additional skills and training. And for the immigrant who comes to the US without the benefit of education, knowledge of the language or the legal status, the future is even gloomier. Of course there are those politicians who argue that reducing incentives to come to the US is a good thing, but the fact is that many of the people who come here come from situations so bad that leaving their home is incentive enough.

I hate to be all doom and gloom, but I also don‘t believe in fairy tales and to say that this problem will be fixed overnight is a lie. While fixing the economy is something we all have little control over, there are ways you can deal with the current situation.

First of all, “Don’t Give Up on your Dreams!” Most of us can point to having ancestors that had to overcome tremendous odds to succeed in life. Compared to the challenges they faced, finding a way to pay for college is easy. It means being creative, working harder and maybe having to sacrifice, but then we tend to appreciate those things we work harder to obtain. The fact is that eventually, the economy will correct itself and you want to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that will come your way. Having a college degree will be very important.

Second, there are many schools out there that you can afford if you do your homework. Attending a public college in the state where you reside, commuting to school or attending part time can all significantly lower tuition costs. Applying for financial aid early, exhausting all forms of grants and loans and applying for as many scholarships as possible goes a long way in reducing costs to you. If you are an adult returning to school, make sure that you take advantage of employee reimbursement programs to help pay for school.

If you are in high school and have a chance to take AP courses, you can earn college credits that will ultimately save you money and time in school. If you are an adult starting college, you may be able to earn college credit by taking the CLEP exam in your state.

Parents should start saving early for college and take advantage of tax savings and incentives by participating in 529 plans for college. Enlist the support of grandparents, aunts, uncles and god parents to help put money away for college. Start looking for scholarships and assistance early so that you can offer your child as much support as possible. Consult with financial advisors, personal accountants, and financial aid specialists to develop strategies for paying for college.

Be smart when researching college. Do advance planning for careers and college majors. Many students change their major several times. Unfortunately, changing majors may require additional course requirements, so plan carefully.

Focus on developing strong basic skills in math, reading and writing while in high school. Not only will this contribute to better grades, but you will be better prepared to handle college courses. You don’t want to spend 5 years in college because you have to take remedial courses in your freshman year. Those courses are billed at the college rate but often don’t count towards the amount of credits you need for a degree. Take challenging courses in high school so that you will be ready for college level work from the first day of freshman year.

Research loan forgiveness programs that help you pay down college loans by working in a particular field. Take advantage of internships and cooperative educational programs that provide opportunity to gain valuable on the job experience along with college credit and a salary or stipend. Look at all of the on campus opportunities to save on tuition, room and board. If you go out of state, stay with a relative to save on room and board or look into cheaper off campus housing. Take a job as a resident advisor or campus security to save on costs.

Consider community college for the first 2 years. Rather than taking on the cost of a four year college, limit costs by completing the first 2 years at the local community college and then transfer to the school of your choice. Another option is to go to school part time and work full or part time to pay for school. It takes longer but taking courses over the summer can accelerate the process. Although it is tougher to go to school and work, if you are motivated and disciplined enough, part time college can be a good choice. Often, adults returning to school use this option because they have bills to pay and families to support.

In the final analysis, the road to obtaining your dreams, although longer and rockier, may hold just as much promise and reward for you. And nothing can replace the confidence you feel in taking charge of your life and going after your dreams. You may not have much control over the cost of a gallon of gas or a slice of pizza, but you do have control over your future…so go after it and let the politicians and banks figure out the rest.