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One reason the numbers are falling is obvious. There are less kids graduating from HS.
2017 saw a 2.3% drop or 81,000 students. This came after 15 straight years of increase in the number of HS graduates. The numbers are expected to hold fairly steady until 2024-2026 when the number of graduates will increase. By 2031-2032, the numbers will be below 2017 levels.
In addition, the demographics will also shift with the number of white graduates declining while the number of minority students will increase.
A lot of school systems, primarily low performing ones, have adopted it as a mantra. I'm sure that grant money from the Gates Foundation for doing so has nothing to do with it.
No evil intent. Doesn't it make sense to encourage those on the lower rungs to pursue the career areas that tend to pay the most? Data shows those are jobs requiring a degree.
No evil intent. Doesn't it make sense to encourage those on the lower rungs to pursue the career areas that tend to pay the most? Data shows those are jobs requiring a degree.
I'm not necessarily talking lower socio-economic rungs but, to be honest, kids who can't spell Bob even if you spot them the Bs.
Here's what happens to a lot of those kids. They'll graduate from high school, barely, and go on to the local community college which has open enrollment with no SAT/ACT required.
They'll spend, if they stick to it, between 2 and 4 years at the CC taking remedial classes, and running up debt.
A very small number will be successful enough in remediation to start taking regular college classes where some will be successful and others not.
Those that stopped at the remediation classes will always be able to say they "went to college".
It's not "evil intent" but optics. You don't dare tell parents (or a parent) their kid shouldn't go to college. I didn't give a **** about blowback from doing so and would be honest with parents.
Many people I know who don't end up at at 4 year institution at least go get an associates at one of the technical or state branch colleges that's focused on a trade. That or they go work retail or something and work their way up the command chain.
I doubt they leave with much debt because it's only 2-years and the tuition is very, very reasonable, and many of them can still live at home or close to home with buddies, which negates or lowers rent.
I didn't have any friends who said they were gonna go to college because they felt like it. We didn't understand the concepts of debt, cost of living, loans, etc as high schoolers, but we did understand we wanted to do X career path, which would require X amount of school.
Nor did my guidance counselors seem to push college on everybody either. If anything, my counselors werent as much of a help as they could've been.
But regardless of why people choose to go to college, please squash the whole "everybody leaving $100K in debt" nonsense. It's just not true and people only say it to try to devalue the concept of college. Greg is the one who went to Columbia, then Harvard Law, not me.
I'm not necessarily talking lower socio-economic rungs but, to be honest, kids who can't spell Bob even if you spot them the Bs.
Here's what happens to a lot of those kids. They'll graduate from high school, barely, and go on to the local community college which has open enrollment with no SAT/ACT required.
They'll spend, if they stick to it, between 2 and 4 years at the CC taking remedial classes, and running up debt.
A very small number will be successful enough in remediation to start taking regular college classes where some will be successful and others not.
Those that stopped at the remediation classes will always be able to say they "went to college".
It's not "evil intent" but optics. You don't dare tell parents (or a parent) their kid shouldn't go to college. I didn't give a **** about blowback from doing so and would be honest with parents.
Yes, this is a big part of the problem. A lot of people who were simply poor students or severely underprepared for college go and drop out, and end up in worse financial shape than ever.
Many people I know who don't end up at at 4 year institution at least go get an associates at one of the technical or state branch colleges that's focused on a trade. That or they go work retail or something and work their way up the command chain.
I doubt they leave with much debt because it's only 2-years and the tuition is very, very reasonable, and many of them can still live at home or close to home with buddies, which negates or lowers rent.
I didn't have any friends who said they were gonna go to college because they felt like it. We didn't understand the concepts of debt, cost of living, loans, etc as high schoolers, but we did understand we wanted to do X career path, which would require X amount of school.
Nor did my guidance counselors seem to push college on everybody either. If anything, my counselors werent as much of a help as they could've been.
But regardless of why people choose to go to college, please squash the whole "everybody leaving $100K in debt" nonsense. It's just not true and people only say it to try to devalue the concept of college.
It's true that people do go to community colleges for blue collar trades.
Part of the problem is when people push people who aren't ambitious to get bachelor's degrees. Someone may get a BA in English or Chemistry. And if they didn't have good grades as an undergraduate and don't have money, with that BA or BS they may end up working in whatever retail store. Arts and sciences degrees are not meant as terminal degrees and you generally need at least a masters to really benefit from them.
Only on City-Data could it be missed on a thread about declining college attendance the fact that college tuition has outpaced inflation and other COL indicators by a factor of more than five over the last couple of decades while the wages of 80% of American families have essentially remained the same. H1-B visas? Give me a break.
Only on City-Data could it be missed on a thread about declining college attendance the fact that college tuition has outpaced inflation and other COL indicators by a factor of more than five over the last couple of decades while the wages of 80% of American families have essentially remained the same. H1-B visas? Give me a break.
I mentioned expense being a factor in declining enrollment - post #29
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