http://www.cnn.com/...uating.ap/index.html
I was just reading this about trying to increase the amount of graduating college students because the average dropout rate is around 50% at a 4 year school. The graduation rate of students who start at community college and later go to 4 year school are somewhere between 80-90% dropout rate.
This may or may not mean anything but I would worry to think if public universities became subject to the same types of programs like No Child Left Behind. Also the article mentions that one consideration may be financial incentives provided for universities that have higher graduation rates. The reason I worry is that with the exception of the elite private and public colleges, most universities are consistently having to deal with entering freshmen that are generally unprepared for college. At the same time I do believe in second chances and with hard work matched with increased maturity students lacking stellar high school careers can go on to academic success. Still as grown adults it is their responsibility to do the work and if they are having problems then seek help. Personally I think the goal of universities is not to increase graduation rates -that's is the students goal/responsibility - but rather should seek the higher goal of maintaining academic excellence and working towards reigning in grade inflation. I think that while second chances should be allowed, in the end your results are what matter. I fear the day when professors would ever be goaded into passing unqualified students through their courses simply to appease the graduation rate. Sometimes you get a great professor and sometimes you don't but as in life sometimes you get a good boss and other times they are inept, but it is still your responsibility to do your job. College is like an IM: it is meant to be rigorous and not everyone that starts will finish. If you have trained well you may finish with a fast time, if your less inclined but have worked hard you may finish with either a fast or slow time, if you haven't trained very well you probably won't finish, sometimes if you have trained well wrecks happen and you still won't finish - Not everyone can be the winner and while everyone should have equal opportunity, not everyone is created with equal abilities, ambition, or self-discipline.
I was just reading this about trying to increase the amount of graduating college students because the average dropout rate is around 50% at a 4 year school. The graduation rate of students who start at community college and later go to 4 year school are somewhere between 80-90% dropout rate.
This may or may not mean anything but I would worry to think if public universities became subject to the same types of programs like No Child Left Behind. Also the article mentions that one consideration may be financial incentives provided for universities that have higher graduation rates. The reason I worry is that with the exception of the elite private and public colleges, most universities are consistently having to deal with entering freshmen that are generally unprepared for college. At the same time I do believe in second chances and with hard work matched with increased maturity students lacking stellar high school careers can go on to academic success. Still as grown adults it is their responsibility to do the work and if they are having problems then seek help. Personally I think the goal of universities is not to increase graduation rates -that's is the students goal/responsibility - but rather should seek the higher goal of maintaining academic excellence and working towards reigning in grade inflation. I think that while second chances should be allowed, in the end your results are what matter. I fear the day when professors would ever be goaded into passing unqualified students through their courses simply to appease the graduation rate. Sometimes you get a great professor and sometimes you don't but as in life sometimes you get a good boss and other times they are inept, but it is still your responsibility to do your job. College is like an IM: it is meant to be rigorous and not everyone that starts will finish. If you have trained well you may finish with a fast time, if your less inclined but have worked hard you may finish with either a fast or slow time, if you haven't trained very well you probably won't finish, sometimes if you have trained well wrecks happen and you still won't finish - Not everyone can be the winner and while everyone should have equal opportunity, not everyone is created with equal abilities, ambition, or self-discipline.