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Alfie Kohn’s Article “How Not to get into College” analyses many key factors of how the current school system does not work and how we as members of society need to work together extensively to remodel the system to ensure the success of future students by valuing education over grades. By looking at how students only join clubs and and worship numerical grades only to impress colleges; students facing pressure from parents, teachers, and society to get good grades and succeed in life; and how students live through many mental health implications due to a multitude of factors surrounding their educational life, we can determine that systemic factors of this society have turned students of this generation into grade grubbers.

High school graduation marks the start of young adults’ lives, a time where they are expected to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many young adults are pressured into attending college, whether they have determined their goal or not, but is it necessary? “The Case Against College,” an article written by Linda Lee, a mother who has questioned the former belief that college equals success, claims that “not everyone needs a higher education.” College, though beneficial to many, is not for everyone and should not determine an individual’s life.

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

Three out of four graduates are not fully prepared for college, because of this they are almost certain to take remedial classes in which they can prepare to be “freshman,” in their second semester of college. ACT’s have tested 50% of these graduates, and it was measured that only 25% of that was actually prepared in all three areas of testing. So what is wrong with this picture? The problem is American high schools are not preparing their students for a college environment, and college work. Students aren’t receiving the key work and lessons needed for college. With all the method that teachers have, which aren’t working to the extent they should be, they are honestly forced to help these students out when they should have been prepared to begin with. With that said, High School teachers are not preparing their students academically for college. Colleges are forced to do studies in consideration of improving the United States Academic reputation, and the overall education for America.

As the price to attend college increases throughout the years many young adults are experiencing increasing difficulty in being able to pay for such an endeavor and many more are beginning to question whether or not it’s worth the price due to the faltering of the economy. The price tag may be the most common concern about getting a college education but another important factor that many students consider when applying for college is how much time they will need to devote to school. Many prospective students think that the time spent in a college math class is a waste when they are majoring in the arts. This results in many students deciding against getting a college education in favor for finding a source of income to support themselves and due to the lack of employment opportunities available today the decision to choose an income over an education is really a matter of survival. However, this is the beginning of a slippery slope that can easily lead to a population that is severely lacking in education which can lead to a disaster in a country where the nations populace are the ones making decisions with their vote. I believe it is time to make education not only cheaper, but more accessible to more people across the country by eliminating course requirements and majors in order to allow students to seek out an education that is tailored to the subject they are seeking to pursue. Doing so will not only result in a lower cost of college by eliminating useless and

According to the OECD, only a quarter of students complete their degree after six years, and only forty-six percent of all United States

Education plays an important role in every person’s future. Not only does it enhance a person’s intellect, but it allows them to discover what they want to become. For the past years, high school students were having trouble graduating and when Texas ranked the lowest in the population that received a high school diploma, the state decided to minimize the amount of exams students had to pass. Although Texas students became successful in graduating, this way of graduating harms the student because they were unable to understand the basics in their education. The reduction of End-of-course exams from fifteen to five and later to three motivate students, but also teaches them that they don’t need to work hard.

“In fall 2016, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000” (National Center for Education Statistics). That number seems to be rising each and ever year, and it almost seems as students feel like they have to go to college directly after high school. Maybe it is because they feel that they have to fit in, even if college is not for them. Although some students attend college for academics, sports, and other reasons, some students attend college for no apparent reason; with that in mind, students should take into consideration the time and money that is put into going to college.

The decision to obtain a higher education beyond high school is no longer a question of if, but when. This is the question that author Caroline Bird discusses in her article, “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” written in 1975. This text strives to convince students, parents, and advisors that obtaining a degree might not be in the best interest for those involved. Circling around the idea that college is a requirement and no longer an act of free will. Bird starts the article off strongly by building her credibility through her own personal research and other credible sources as well as appealing to readers through logical reasoning using numerous statistics, but fails to convince readers and discredits her ultimate goal through a disconnect in her use of analogies.

Twenty-five percent of American Teenagers drop out of high school each year. What does this say about America’s education system? Are students not interested or are they tired of memorizing a subject and then having a letter grade represent how much they can remember. Some articles suggest that America should decrease the number of years that teenagers spend in high school because many teenagers already know what they want to study and do not want to be stuck studying something they are not good at or interested in. America needs to redesign the school system so it can help students prepare for their future and have more classes that students are interested in.

On January 8, 2002, former President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, requiring all states to test students in reading and in math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school (Klein). This testing was designed to, as the act states, “leave no child behind.” However, because of this testing, many children are falling behind because of this very idea: standardized testing. For high school students specifically, standardized testing is the ultimate factor in whether the students are “college ready” by the school’s terms or not. A test where bubbling A, B, C, or D determines whether or not

According to the Department of Education, fewer than 40% of students who enter college each year graduate within four years, while almost 60% of students graduate in six years. Students must either go deep into debt or drag out college life. Lucie Lapovsky discusses saving money and pushing through college in less than four years in How To Reduce The Price of Your College Degree? Speed It Up. Graduating early means there is the opportunity to jumpstart a career. But is it worth the extra stress of overloading each semester?

The US education system is like a sports team with a consistently sub-par record. Year after year, our “team” fails. After a while, people stop expecting anything great from the team. Eventually sub-par performance is normalized and becomes the expectation. After enough time, people slowly lose interest in the team. People stop cheering for the team. People give up hope, and accept the fact that their team will never win. Once hope has been given up, people minimalize the value of their team. Similarly, education in America has been failing for so long that people have started to give up hope. People have started to question the importance of education and the value of a high school diploma or a college degree. The situation America currently in is a tricky one. There is no magical panacea. There is no overnight fix. If we as a nation are serious about changing we need to make some big changes to our education

There is a prevalence of underprepared students entering postsecondary education. The College Board (2013) reports as many as 57% of students completing the SAT exams did not meet the benchmark for college level coursework; this figure may present low, as it does not necessarily include the countless students who do not attempt the test, as they are planning on attending postsecondary schools not requiring these scores for admissions or not planning on continuing their education after high school. Individuals might point fingers at secondary education and blame them for not preparing the college freshman adequately, but unfortunately, there are a myriad of influences that generate this educational skills gap.

Despite the growing consensus that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and careers, that goal is unfortunately not being realized in many schools across the country. Each year, one third of students do not graduate from high school and another third graduate unprepared for the rigors of college and careers—figures that have remained stagnant in far too many pockets of the nation. To effectively address such an extensive crisis, reform efforts must focus on the systemic improvement of low-performing high schools. (The School of Arts and Enterprise, 2012)