Comments on: Schools as Scapegoats

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:33:02 +0000

There data is wrong. The high school graduation rate is around 70%, and falling. Only half the people who graduate from high school recieve college degrees. That is 35%. The US is now is behind at least 6 countries in college completion rates and proportion of population as college graduates (from being first). These are serious macro economic problems, and hurt US competitiveness. If unionization was encouraged, it would simply spur automation, so that those low service sector jobs disappeared (as is happening with manufacturing). So, I don’t understand where those authors are drawing their conclusions.

By: Joanna Barker

Joanna Barker — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:01:30 +0000

I agree that it is a combination of all these things, however you must agree that our school systems can’t compete with those in other countries.

For example, I went on a mission trip to Thailand last year, and there were also missionaries from Sweden there, students just like me. So when we recieved instructions, we recieved them in English and Swedish, even though these students already understood the directions in English. So when they told us what to do in English, they then started babbling in Swedish. These students also knew, fluently, Thai, Mandarin, French, German and Italian. You can imagine how inferior all of us from America felt.

Everything needs to be reformed if America is going to be able to compete in the more competitive job market. While only 7% of working class people haven’t graduated high school or some equivalent, it doesn’t change the fact that high schools and high school teachers aren’t preparing students well enough. There’s a high school in Pennsylvania that doesn’t even teach cursive to grade schoolers. When they get to high school, they don’t even know how to sign their name.

I think it is perfectly illogical to assume that people will not campaign for better conditions when they want to go on to get an education. When you assume that, you also assume that people don’t care about the people who will be working there after they leave. It is amazing that those security guards campaigned and got what they needed, but I can almost guarantee you that some of those who were a part of that are not anymore, because they sought something they thought was better.

The gist of what I’m trying to say is, it IS the school’s fault as well, we need a reform everywhere, not just in the economic markets.

By: Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:14:48 +0000

I largely agree with this, because regardless of how many degrees are granted, even if educational levels sored, these positions would still need filled and I have encountered people who work food service without attending an institution of higher learning, and are, presumably, content enough with their situation to not pursue other opportunities (mostly the younger people I’ve met – the middle-aged people, saddled with children and mortgages seem to regret their earlier complacency). Of course, there are categories of these jobs that are just as difficult to master (carpenter, skilled steel worker, chef) as any professional career with extensive abstract knowledge. I think an education approach that combines a period of working in some of these lower-level job markets with education and subsequent pursuit of a professional career, with the continued prescence of other obligations, mostly social, humanitarian, civil and political in nature, is the best plan, satisfying the need to fill service jobs, professional jobs, and voluntary service positions within the same person’s more fully-rounded lifetime.

By: Kristie

Kristie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:49:36 +0000

I do not believe that schools are the reason for the declining wages that many families are facing today. If anything, schools are the ones trying to make it better for their students by giving them the knowlege they need to succeed in the working world. People with college degrees earn more and would get hired more easily than a person without a college degree would, but it is that persons choice on weather they want to further themselves or not.

By: Kristie

Kristie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:03:24 +0000

I do not believe that schools are to blame for the declining wages that people are struggling with today. Though I do believe that everyone who can should get a college degree in a particular study that they are passionate about. This way, their bosses will not only pay them more than what they would pay someone without a college degree, but they will be doing something that they love to do and get hired more easily also. I hope people come to realize that schools are not the ones to blame in this situation, they are the ones trying to help the situation by giving students the knowledge they need to succeed in the working world today.

By: Rosa

Rosa — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:14:49 +0000

What Stephanie said is so true – and since it is true, the focus on schools and in schools on getting a better degree so you can make more money is actually helping cause the income slide.

Where people think the answer to having a decent job is to take on a lot of debt and go to school, they’re less likely to organize and demand better conditions in the job they are in.

By: The Urban Scientist

The Urban Scientist — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:21:06 +0000

so true.

By: stephanie jones

stephanie jones — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:32:40 +0000

This is fabulous Jane – thanks for the links. I’ve been reading ‘Ending Poverty in America’ edited by John Edwards, Marion Crain, and Arne L. Kalleberg and one of the chapters reminded me of the arbitrariness of what becomes a “good job.” For example, Beth Shulman writes, “Where unions are active, they have clout, even in the service sector. Security guards are a good example. In LA a group of security guards earned $6.75 an hour before they were organized…Now they earn $11.20 an hour. They have affordable health benefits, paid sick days, paid vacation and holidays, a pension plan, and a process to address unfair treatment at work.”

She asks when businesses will start taking the “high road” and make nursing home attendants, retail workers, and other service sector jobs “good jobs.” And it has nothing to do with the workers’ education credentials, but everything to do with how the business and/or field of work decides to treat its workers.