Degrees Of Separation: A College Education For All “In a global society and knowledge economy, does a college education or lack thereof create degrees of separation for the haves and have-nots?” Robert E. Johnson, president of Becker College, writes in The Huffington Post’s The Blog.
“The United States has long been viewed as a land of opportunity, particularly in access to higher education. …
However, the degrees of separation are expanding. Herein is the dilemma. A college degree can close the gap between the haves and the have-nots, but at present the success rate of low-income college students is dismal. …
American education must be a promise of opportunity and access for all. The haves and the have-nots cannot be separated by degrees of inequality — be these college or high school degrees. Nor can inequity occur in pre-high-school grade levels. Higher education is both a privilege and a public good, but it requires a unified and collaborative effort throughout all educational systems to better prepare students for success. When students who attend college are not prepared for the rigors of the academic curriculum, they will fail. When they do not have the tools to develop independent thinking, they will fail. When they develop from a foundation of believing they are not good enough, they will fail. This is not a failure of higher education; it is a failure of our entire educational system — and it is educational malpractice.
I commend University of Texas (U.T.) Professor David Laude, featured in Tough’s New York Times article, who developed the Texas Interdisciplinary Plan to address the needs of those he described as ‘outsiders from the beginning’ — U.T. students from predominantly low-income families. This is the type of intervention needed to ensure that talented young men and women who were not previously oriented to succeed will earn their college degrees.
Our nation promises happiness and inalienable rights for everyone. Entrepreneurial educators like Professor Laude are sorely needed in every classroom across America. We must narrow the gap that grants a promising future for some, and not for others. If we create an enlightened and educated future for just one person, their life will be transformed, and society is changed for the better. Let us work collectively to narrow the degrees of separation for everyone who pursues a college education.”
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