Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Beef Up K-12 Services Before Pushing College

February 03, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Two recent reports have called for greater student access to college, and also have suggested that the United States must do a better job of ensuring that college students graduate.

Late last year, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education released “Measuring Up 2008.” As described in your article “States Earn Poor Marks on College” (Dec. 10, 2008), the report generally decried increasing college costs and poor academic preparation in high schools. The second report, “Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future,” was released in December by the Commission on Access, Admissions, and Success in Higher Education, a group supported by the College Board. It hopes that by 2025, 55 percent of young Americans will be leaving school with a community college degree or higher. Currently, only about 40 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds have attained some type of postsecondary degree or credential.

While noble goals, increasing college access and improving college graduation rates should not be our top priorities. We are already graduating too many students from high school incapable of doing college-level work. Act Inc., which administers a college-admissions test and publishes a college-readiness report each year based on the test, concluded in 2008 that less than one-quarter of students met all the college-readiness benchmarks. And nearly 60 percent of those enrolling in the California State University system, the nation’s largest, must take a remediation class as a condition of admission.

Until we beef up our K-12 services, we should not send any more underprepared students to college. Let’s put some oomph into our precollegiate education, so that those secondary school graduates who do attend won’t be taking high school classes once they get there.

Patrick Mattimore

Gex, France

Related Tags:
Opinion

A version of this article appeared in the February 04, 2009 edition of Education Week as Beef Up K-12 Services Before Pushing College

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz News Quiz: Feb. 6, 2025: Reading Scores | Curriculum | Trump 'Indoctrination' Order | and More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of books on a shelf.
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Education Briefly Stated: February 5, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz News Quiz: Jan. 30, 2025: Interim Ed. Dept. Leader | Navigating Immigration Policies | Teacher Evaluations | And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His administration's order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal spending this week sent school districts scrambling to figure out which funds might be halted.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His administration's order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal spending this week sent school districts scrambling to figure out which funds might be halted.
Al Drago/AP
Education Briefly Stated: January 29, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read