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In Your Corner, Student Learning
College Remediation: Who’s at Fault and How to Prevent It
A disappointingly high number of college freshmen are required to take remedial mathematics and English courses as they begin their college careers. Pre-pandemic statistics indicate that as many as one in five high school graduates enrolling in four-year institutions must take at least one remedial course. Predictably, the challenge will grow in the aftermath of the disruption caused by COVID.
On its face, this information implies that these students have not received an adequate education in elementary, middle, and high school, or at least their preparation has not been sufficient for immediate success in college. Further, most college remedial courses require students to pay tuition, but the students receive no credit toward graduation. Consequently, students can find themselves falling deeper into debt before they even begin their path toward graduation. Studies also show that students who are required to take remedial courses are less likely to graduate with a degree, and if they do graduate, they are less likely to earn degrees that lead to higher compensated careers.
While it might be tempting to blame the high schools students attended, the situation might be more complicated than it initially appears. In fact, several forces are likely contributing to the problem, and they deserve scrutiny.
Students and families hear the message that college is a crucial part of the path to career success. The expectation has led to an increasing number of students enrolling in college, even when they have no strong interest in or commitment to attending. For many, college feels like the next educational step, and family expectations and aspirations feed this perception. Consequently, many students enter college without having made a commitment to the academic learning that will prepare them for success. This argument is not intended to place full blame on the students. Rather, it is recognition that the drive necessary to prepare for and succeed in higher education is often not present for several societal, community, familial, and personal reasons.
Of course, high schools share responsibility if they fail to help students understand the expectations and level of learning effort necessary for success in college. However, high schools face pressure to send as many students to college as possible since such data is often used as a proxy to signify the academic challenge and success of the school. This pressure can lead to encouragement for college enrollment even when students’ current performance makes college a risky choice. Meanwhile, the academic expectations and skill levels necessary for college success are not secret. Higher education institutions are typically eager to share information regarding the skills necessary for success at the college level. Sharing this information with students early in their secondary school careers might help them adjust their current learning efforts and inform decisions about post high school pursuits.
Institutions of higher education also need to share responsibility for this situation. The state of student academic preparation is not difficult to ascertain. In fact, this information is presumably part of the decision-making process used to assign students to remedial classes.
It is also true that higher education institutions face pressures that may influence their attention and decision-making. Students provide revenue. The more students who enroll, the more revenue they generate. Further, remedial courses generate revenue without having to grant credits. Since students who have to enroll in remedial courses often exit college early, the revenue they generate can presumably be reallocated to support more advanced students in programs that enroll fewer students and are more expensive to offer.
The challenge of academic remediation in higher education is important and must be addressed, but we need to be thoughtful about the approach. In fact, it appears to be a system problem, and system problems almost always require engagement from multiple stakeholders and perspectives to find effective, responsible solutions. It is time for higher education and secondary education to do more than point fingers. Students’ lives and futures are at stake. This problem can be solved, but it will require courage and leadership from all who play a role.
In Your Corner, Student Learning
Our Challenge: To Preserve a Crucial American Institution
Throughout our history, education has promised a path to a better life. For the most part, this promise has held. With few exceptions, each generation has enjoyed financial means, access to a wider array of life choices, and enjoyed benefits that surpassed what was experienced by their parents and grandparents.
It has also been assumed that public education is a public good worth paying for even by citizens without a direct benefit, such as having children who attended school. The belief has been that a well-educated citizenry makes our communities and country better and more successful. The idea of supporting public good has led to major advancements in our nation that likely could not have been accomplished without the pooling of public commitment and funds. Our interstate highway and electrical systems are two examples.
Yet, the pandemic and several trends already emerging prior to the virus are calling these assumptions into question. For the first time in our nation’s history, polls report parents and young people believing that the next generation will not experience a life that is better than their parents. Resistance to paying for public services, including public education, has been growing for the past several decades. Meanwhile, there is increasing interest in limiting what can be taught or even discussed in schools. Laws are being considered and passed in multiple states that prohibit discussion of many issues of importance to the current and future health of our society.
The confluence of these trends presents a troubling prospect for the future of public education unless we can find a way to turn the situation around. A population that is already suspicious of investing for purposes of public good combined with disappointing life prospects and growing distrust of educators and what is taught in schools does not bode well for the future of public education. The question is: What can educators and schools do to restore confidence and support over the long-term?
Obviously, these are complex issues including elements that extend beyond what educators can influence. Yet, there are steps we can take to preserve this crucial American institution and its contribution to society.
First, we must summon the courage to champion the interests of students and their futures. The world has changed dramatically and will continue to become more complex and diverse. The future we are preparing today’s students for will be one in which there is no single majority. Meanwhile, creativity and innovation thrive when diverse perspectives and experiences combine in pursuit of an idea or in search of a solution. The success and happiness of our students will be enhanced through understanding, engagement, and respect rather than polarization and divisiveness.
Second, we must shift our focus from preparing students for a job to guiding them to be curious, flexible learners who are grounded in content and skills. Predictions are that more than half of the jobs today’s students will have do not yet exist. Our promise to learners must be to prepare them for whatever they might choose and their future asks of them. We cannot afford to prepare today’s students for yesterday’s world, or leave them lacking in what they need for tomorrow’s world.
Third, we can instill a sense of purpose and nurture their passions. Failing to have a direction or be clear about what is important will place today’s students at a distinct disadvantage in a world filled with options, expectations, and challenges.
Fourth, we need to develop in learners the skills of divergent and convergent thinking. Disciplined analysis, critical examination, and flexible approaches to the dilemmas and challenges they face will be crucial to personal success and the long-term health of our society.
Fifth, we can give students opportunities to experience the pride and satisfaction that can come with service. It’s important for them to appreciate the value of the common good and that not everything worth doing and supporting must accrue an immediate, direct personal benefit.
These ideas, of course, are starting places to address the critical and complex situation we face. They ask us to demonstrate courage, openness, and persistence. We may not control all the factors contributing to the forces we face, but we can do our part and advocate with others to do theirs.
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