College For The Masses By David Leonhardt

Have you ever referred to someone as “high class,” “middle class,” or “low class?” The article “Class In America” is a very educated read and describes the way people are characterized by their “class.” I think that this article informs all types of readers and allows people to see how people are grouped based on themselves. “Class in America” is written to show and prove to society that people do not talk about “class” anymore, because of the way the world looks at it today. Gregory Mantosis is the author of the article, and he uses many facts and data to prove his points.

The essay, “Two years are better than Four” was written by Lis Addison which was published in the They Say, I Say book. This essay is about the author, Liz Addison explaining her feelings and experiences of going to a two-year community college. In her essay she talks about a man named Rick Perlstein who believed that college really doesn't matter that much, but going to a four-year college is better than going to a two-year community college due to the college experience being better. Throughout the essay Addison mostly compares and contrasts why going to a two-year community college is better than going to a four-year college. She uses what Mr. Perlstein says about his years at a four-year college to write her essay and explain why a community college is more beneficial to students and their futures. Throughout the essay she lists all the benefits of what a two-year community college can do for some students that a four year university can not.

In the article “Two Years Are Better Than Four” author Liz Addison writes about how community college is a forgotten option for many students in America, and that it is not well advertised like the universities are. She writes about how community college is a great option for students who need a less expensive option, but still want a chance to further their education. Addison also writes about how they allow everyone to attend so you can “just begin”. Community college is a great option for many students because it allows for an affordable option for students to continue their education.

The reading I chose to critically analyze was written by Diane Ravitch and is named, “Essentials of a Good Education.” In the article, education activist Diane Ravitch, expresses her opinion about how the public education and schools in the United States are failing society. She indicates that schools are wasting their money and time on preparing students to pass state test instead of teaching them valuable life skills needed to succeed. She provides interesting support for this argument and explains why schools need to stop teaching the importance of test scores and focus on a full liberal arts curriculum, where students have a better chance to obtain an education they can take into the real world. Ms. Ravitch’s argument that the

In most affluent schools, parents have the expectation that their kids are being offered a full liberal arts curriculum that will allow them to further their creativity and curiosity. However, many schools have been only focusing on the subjects that are being tested on standardized tests set by the state, because they receive more school funding if they achieve higher test scores. In her article titled “The Essentials of a Good Education”, Diane Ravitch, utilizing direct examples of schools, and policies that limit student’s knowledge of the arts in order to have more time preparing for tests, points out that this shift in focus is causing students to suffer academically and is killing their curiosity and creativity.

The essay “A New Liberal Arts,” which was written by Sanford Ungar, first appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education on March 5, 2010. In his essay, Ungar uses many different rhetorical strategies to convince his reader that a degree in the liberal arts is not a lost cause but can actually be very beneficial and lead to success. In Ungar’s opinion, there are many wrong ideas and misunderstandings about the usefulness of a degree in the liberal arts. In the essay there are seven specific misperceptions that he addresses specifically. By listing out these misperceptions, Ungar is addressing them individually in order to give each one proper attention. He offers explanations to why people may think these things and why he believes that they are incorrect. Ungar’s use of style, format, and emotional and logical arguments help him to create a persuasive and influential essay for his audience and convince them to agree with his opinion.

Similarly, in “Two Years Are Better than Four”, Liz Addison argues that Community College is a good option for those who are not prepared for college or are unable to pay for a traditional 4-year degree. “Community college welcome people who comes from different background” (Addison). Because how much affordable Community college is in comparison to a traditional 4-year college. Community College gives hope to those who parents are blue-collar workers trying to give a better future to their children or those like my stepmother, who cannot obtain a four-year degree from medical school because of how much it costs. However, she can look for

“Essentials of a Good Education” is an article by Diane Ravitch regarding the No Child Left Behind legislation and its effect on public schools in America. According to her, since that legislation was put into place, schools have cut funding to subjects that don’t get tested. This has taken some of the most ambitious students in the schools in poorer communities and put them at the same level as the students that don’t care about school and don’t try. That keeps the ambitious and advanced students from reaching their full potential in school. Although Ravitch makes good points about her opinion, she doesn’t consider any opposing opinion and she cites little to no sources for her information.

Attending a community college has several benefits such as the low tuition and book fees, smaller classes, and experienced teachers at an affordable cost. In this two year period students also have the time to mature and get serious about their career before they get into the four year institution

Einstein once said, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Likewise, if a poor test-taker is judged by their SAT score, they could be forced to attend an inadequate institute of higher education. For decades, the SAT has been “the test” that makes or breaks a student's chances of getting into their top college. Generally, the privileged populace do well, but minorities and women do not come out as strong and are therefore limited to college choice. The SAT has proven to be an unsuitable, biased method for predicting success of students in college.

As a high school senior, the pressure to pick the school that will provide me with both a good social and academic experience is on. For someone like me, I would be content with going to a good state school to save money. But for other students, Ivy League is the only option. These same students and their parents strongly believe that an Ivy League education is the principal to the finest opportunities in life. William Deresiewicz claims they do not give a remarkable social experience nor do they allow room for students to think themselves. In his article, “ Don’t Send Your Kids to the Ivy Leagues”, he uses his status and personal anecdotes to persuade the reader of just that.

In the book, The Hoosier School-Master, author Edward Eggleston depicts life in a 19th century rural community. His story reflects the lives of those who might have lived there at the time. Eggleston narrates the book from a point of view that closely reflects what life would have been like in rural Indiana, where he includes facts about the community and its members, as well as what it was like to be a student and a teacher in the 19th century. Flat Creek offers all examples of the experiences of a not only a teacher, but a teacher who has moved to a small unknown community. It also offers a perspective students and community members would have on schooling, and its’ value. I argue that due to the limited resources, the community’s involvement, and geographical location, students were unable to receive a well-rounded education in a rural community during the 19th century. I will use the book and class materials to support my argument that there were limited resources, lower quality of life, high teacher turnover, and limited opportunities for female and minority students (lack thereof).

This paper is a response to Chapter Three: Some New Gods that Fail of Neil Postman’s “The End of Education”. This excerpt focuses on what Postman considers the dangerous faith of many in the field of education to engage in idolatry of technology. He goes on to support his argument that concludes that the improvements promised to us by technophiles working in education are not forthcoming and will likely make things worse. Postman writes in this chapter a critique of the logical failings he observes in his contemporaries on how education should be improved. In disagreement with Postman’s opinion I wish to highlight how he has failed to understand how interactive media is fundamentally different than previous media formats and that his focus on overzealous promises from bureaucrats has blinded him to the actual opportunities for real growth in education.

Mismatch theory essentially forwards that if a student decides to enroll at a demanding college or university despite having a secondary school record that is sub-par to their college peers, they are at a greater risk for academic failure and/or drop out. Concerning the mismatch theory, Kurlaender and Grodsky (2013) write, “Descriptively, the mismatch hypothesis appears to be at least partially true” (306). This statement is based upon how the GTO students had academic profiles that were weaker than those who were admitted to the same competitive school, yet regularly. Additionally, the academic profiles of GTO students were similar to (but still somewhat lower than) students who attended less competitive UC campuses. However, net of academic

In the video, John Oliver is describing a system where the federal government holds a lasting role and infrastructure in public schooling, as well as where schools and teachers have become dominated by high stakes testing climates. Education has grown to become a part of the larger governmental system, and is the foundation for American society. The video comes at a neutral standpoint, and strictly states the truth, and not his opinion. One of the overall goals of education is to teach for meaning and not the grade or teacher rating. All of the readings have proven that education, textbooks, and standardized tests have shifted along with the political climates. NCLB passed with a bi-partisan support, and was seen as the future of education.