College Is Not for Everyone

by Louis Rosen

Overview

An emphasis among educational policymakers to stress college for all students is neglecting the hopes and aspirations of millions of young people currently in school who either lack interest in academics or the inability to succeed in a more rigorous curriculum. The rationale given for "college for everyone" is that current employers and jobs require more academics and a college education. This book attempts to demonstrate that this is not the case. The author uses statistical data and current research to prove that most jobs in the U.S. today do not require a college education or high academic skills. Lou Rosen accuses current educational policy makers as being elitist and making policies that emphasize an "educate the best and shoot the rest" philosophy.

College Is Not For Everyone:
·Provides insight into current pressures being brought by many national and state legislators on school policies and curriculum
·Provides factual information and research related to the success of schools and their contribution to the economy
·Defends the right of students to not go to college if that is their choice
·Makes the case for returning vocational programs to schools and community colleges
·Provides interesting data on the number of special education students in the U.S. and ways in which school dropout data is being manipulated by school districts and state departments of education

This book will be a valuable resource for teachers, school administrators, school board members, state legislators, researchers, and parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461648420
Publisher:	R&L Education
Publication date:	06/09/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	104
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Louis Rosen is the executive director of the School Justice Institute, a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting fairness in schools and school district policies. He was a high school principal in the Los Angeles area for 19 years and for 10 years, he administered large federal programs in substance abuse and violence prevention in schools.

Table of Contents

Part 1 List of Figures
Part 2 List of Tables
Part 3 Introduction
Chapter 4 1 Exactly Where Are Most of the Jobs Today?
Chapter 5 2 Four Case Studies
Chapter 6 3 The Myth of Algebra
Chapter 7 4 Academic Elitism and the No Child Left Behind Act
Chapter 8 5 School Dropouts, Exit Exams, and "College for Everyone" Philosophy
Chapter 9 6 What Colleges Expect
Chapter 10 7 What Employers Expect
Chapter 11 8 Conclusion
Part 12 References
Part 13 Index
Part 14 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Although this book reads like a graduate thesis, it nonetheless has a thoughtful point to make-that schools from secondary through community college are not doing enough to prepare students who are not university bound. Rosen focuses a bit too much on algebra as the unnecessary nemesis for the bulk of high school students, but his observation that schools overwhelmingly center their time and resources on academics and technology is mostly accurate. Vocational education and school-to-work programs are quickly disappearing from campuses, and parents often expect schools to prepare their children solely for university when frequently those same children might not have either the aptitude or the interest for academics. At the same time, community colleges, which began as community institutions ready to train police officers, medical technicians, and real estate brokers, have morphed into university preparatory schools for those students who often could not find a place at a four-year college. Rosen also mentions employers' needs for workers who can communicate and think, who are responsible and adaptable, and who can work with others. Many occupations do not need or require a college degree. His view is that it should be up to each individual student which path he or she chooses and that the opportunities for training should be a broad as the students' interests. This book will find the most use in the counselors' offices of schools where there are the largest number of students moving straight into the work force after high school. 2005, Scarecrow Education, 87p.; Index. Charts. Biblio., pb. Ages adult professional.
—Leslie Carter

VOYA

[Rosen] notes that many simply are not interested in doing advanced academic work or in pushing ourselves to the limit in highly paid but highly stressful lives, and he blames high dropout rates and other problems on an elitist and unrealistic school system that pushes every student, ready or not, consenting or not, into college.

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