This is the last of a 10-blog series on education. The first nine are:
1. The USA Was The Greatest Nation On This Planet -- Was http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/the-usa-was-the-greatest-nation-on-this-planet--was/190391
2. Mexico Cares More About College Education Than The USA http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/mexico-cares-more-about-college-education-than-the-usa/190910
3. Oregon Has A Solution For Student Debt Crisis http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/oregon-has-a-solution-for-student-debt-crisis/191306
4. Are Men Just Stupid? http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/are-men-just-stupid/191722
5. College Is Now Mostly For Kids With Rich Daddies http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/college-education-is-now-for-kids-with-rich-daddies/192096
6. Want A Job After College? http://www.storeboard.com/blogs/education/want-a-job-after-college/192376
7. School Matters: The Stats In This Blog Don't Lie http://www.storeboard.com/blogs/education/school-matters-the-stats-in-this-blog-dont-lie/192897
8. Work Experience In College Is Becoming More Important http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/work-experience-in-college-is-becoming-more-important/193451
9. The USA's Top Colleges Will Make You Broke http://newyork.storeboard.com/blogs/education/the-usas-top-colleges-will-make-you-broke/193799
Blog No. 10: USA Falling Behind In College Graduation Rates
In many of the first nine blogs in this 10-part series, I have documented how college education is becoming unaffordable for millions of young people in the USA and how the American federal government and state governments have responded to this crisis by doing the OPPOSITE of what they should be doing.
In other words, governments, and our society have done less and less to help young people pay for college.
This blog shows the results of this incredibly stupid policy. "Dropping out of college and paying the price" is how The New York Times described the impact of dumb policies on USA college graduation rates.
According to the June 25, 2013, article, the USA is 33rd in college graduation rates among the 34 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of economically advanced nations. Only 53 percent of students who enter college graduate. Only Hungary is worse among OECD nations.
The USA is second to last in college graduation rates because "the rising cost of college looms like an insurmountable obstacle for many low-income Americans hoping to get a higher education," according to the article. This insight is bolstered by the fact that fewer than 10 percent of people who are in poorest fourth of Americans graduate college.
The USA once ranked very high in college graduation rates among OECD nations. In fact, the USA is still third in the world in graduation rates among 55- to 64-year-old people behind Canada and Israel.
But the USA's 25- to 34-year-olds are 11th in graduation rates (among all citizens, not just citizens who started college). In 2000, we were fourth. This precipitious fall is unacceptable because "inequities in education are hampering social and economic mobility, contributing to entrenched income inequality," according to the article.
There are a number of solutions to this crisis. The New York Times article details some ideas. My third blog, the one about Oregon's solution, details another.
I hope the USA acts to solve this crisis so we can once again become the greatest nation on this planet.
Caption: Yes Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and things turned out great for him, but he got a 1,590 out of 1,600 on his SAT. HE did not need college.
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