Success without diplomas
The recent story about the success in college of people who never completed high school raises important questions about the role of high schools. For years, young people have been told they can't get anywhere in life without a high school diploma or the GED equivalency. But maybe that's not so, if the trend detailed in the New York Times article - 400,000 students without a high school diploma attend college - takes hold and grows.
If people can drop out of high school and not worry about the consequences, high schools become irrelevant. Educators should take a hard look at their curricula to make sure they serve the students' academic and social growth. Then there's the placement and financial aid for these college-without-high-school students. Should they be able to compete for valuable seats in college classrooms and scarce grants and tuition aid with more traditional students?
All this assumes a college degree means something. A better educated worker supposedly contributes to a better work force. But is it the employee's credentials or his talent and work ethic that really makes a difference?
If people can drop out of high school and not worry about the consequences, high schools become irrelevant. Educators should take a hard look at their curricula to make sure they serve the students' academic and social growth. Then there's the placement and financial aid for these college-without-high-school students. Should they be able to compete for valuable seats in college classrooms and scarce grants and tuition aid with more traditional students?
All this assumes a college degree means something. A better educated worker supposedly contributes to a better work force. But is it the employee's credentials or his talent and work ethic that really makes a difference?
posted by Larry Benjamin at 8:52 AM
2 Comments:
The only thing that matter is drive. If a person has it, they'll do fine. If they don't, they won't. all this baloney about college or HS diplomas is just that, baloney.
Mark Twain said, "I never let my schooling get in the way of my education." There it is.
This whole thing about "education" in this country is a gigantic con job.
I think, for younger workers with limited experience, a diploma or a degree is evidence of commitment, and is, therefore, a valuable predictor of early success. For older workers, experience probably exceeds their credentials as a predictor of continued success.
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