I came across an interesting editorial published in The New York Times this week which echoes what we have been seeing for years. Guess Who’s Taking Remedial Classes is in response to a study by Education Reform Now, a non-profit think tank. The study analyzed data from the US Department of Education for students who started college in 2011.
The study found that nearly half of college students taking remedial classes in 2011 were from middle and upper income families. Students taking remedial classes in college are clearly not ready for college level work. These students are also adding to their time in college, and the cost of their education. Even more concerning, is the finding that students enrolled in a four year program to earn a bachelor’s degree are 75% more likely to drop out of college than their peers who did not need remedial courses.
One in four college students in 2011 was required to take a remedial course in math, English or writing. Forty-three percent of students taking these remedial classes were at private colleges and universities. The cost of these classes totaled $1.5 billion in the 2011-2012 school year. Students spend an average of $12,500 to take these classes, repeating material they should have learned in high school.
Many of these students came from suburban high schools that did not adequately prepare them for college. Grade inflation, teacher apathy and parent complacency are all cited as reasons for schools not getting the job done. The article also states that relatively few students are taking a rigorous high school curriculum.
We have seen many high school students over the years coming from some of the “best” high schools in the state, who have very weak skills in math, reading and writing. Some of these students do not have their times tables memorized in high school, they cannot solve basic percentage problems, and they are unable to write a solid essay. These students are clearly not ready for the rigors of college.
Several of our tutors over the years have taught at the college level, and they have recounted stories of how poorly prepared their students are to do the work assigned in their classes. Students often expect to have their grades scaled (as they were in high school) or be offered opportunities for retakes on tests they do not perform well on the first time. They are not used to their work being held to a high standard, and they often complain about how unfair the professors are who will not drop the standards for them.
It is disturbing that so many students from schools thought to be some of the best in the country are so unprepared for college. It is often a rude awakening for students and parents when they realize how far behind they are compared to some of their peers. Public education in America is falling further and further behind each year, and students are the ones who are suffering.
This article should be a wake up call to parents who expect their child’s public school to prepare them for the rigors of college and beyond. It is no mystery why we have so many savvy parents who are coming to us in droves who are unhappy with their child’s “top” public school, and they are looking to get their student into a private school. Private schools are accountable for student outcomes in a way that public school are not, and it makes a big difference when students go to college.
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