Your thoughts, please.
Many tuition dependent institutions (TDI’s) face financial sustainability issues in the mid-term. These schools draw a significant percentage of matriculants presenting reading, writing and mathematics deficiencies with their minimal selective admission policies. Matriculants must frequently enroll in one or more remedial courses. According to decades-long NCES data, in spite of their best efforts, TDI’s lose on average of nearly 40 percent of new students by the end of the academic year. Admitting fewer applicants with multiple reading, writing, and mathematics deficiencies should produce two positive results. One, lower remedial course offerings which will reduce expenses. Two, it will improve retention performance ending the need to replace as many matriculants lost each enrollment cycle.
I think that in light of lower standards in education, TDIs should, as you rightly suggested, think smaller. Although I believe in democratic education, not all students graduating from high school have the necessary knowledge, skills, competencies and even readiness to be part of higher education institutions. Even pushing them through remedial courses has not been proved so effective. In the end, I don't know why a student is pressed into a system to which s/he cannot compete in and for, thus costing a bomb for public money in vain and remaining a liability for the system. Such students can surely excel elsewhere than in higher education.
I believe they are pushed/pulled in the common schools can point to success and the colleges need the enrollment to sustain themselves.
President Truman had a sign on his desk back in the late 1940's that said: "The Buck Stops Here!" What is meant was that the responsibility was ultimately his, whether he caused the problem or not. The same is true with these students. Where does the buck stop? I do realize that not all students will ever be Ph.Ds nor should they. However, in a democracy do we have the obligation to educate our people to the potential that they are willing to work to achieve? Who teaches the student and brings them up to grade level? Yes, I realize that a student with deficiencies will take longer to graduate. However, if we discontinue the remedial classes are we not denying that student the opportunity to ever graduate? Not all will make it. The system itself is competitive and eliminatory by its very nature. One of the founding principles of democracy is the right to try to better one's self. Is it out intent to maintain at the illusion of social mobility or are we doomed to an eternal caste system?
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