There are a lot of metrics in place that gauge the effectiveness of P-12 schooling in the U.S. and shine a particularly bright light on public schools, particularly when they are failing students. Dropout rates are just one of the factors taken into account when these numbers are calculated and tend to weigh heavily on the schools and districts who have low percentages. The same does not seem to be true once the high school years pass though. Compared to P-12 institutions, colleges and universities seemingly get a pass when it comes to dropout rates – perhaps because in the past, higher education was considered more of a privilege and less of a right. A college dropout was simply walking away from the assumed higher quality of life that came with the degree, but still had opportunity to excel without it.
That’s not the case anymore. As of 2013, 17.5 million students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. More than ever, colleges and universities have a responsibility to not simply admit students, but ensure they are guided properly to graduation. In other words, institutions of higher education should not be able to just take their student’s money and say “good luck.” They should provide the tools necessary for students to successfully achieve a college education and anticipate the issues that could prevent that.
Authors Ben Miller and Phuong Ly discussed the issue of the U.S. colleges with the worst graduation rates in their book College Dropout Factories. Within the pages, the authors encouraged educators at all levels to acknowledge that colleges and universities should share responsibility for successful or failing graduation rates, and that the institutions with the worst rates should be shut down. Perhaps the most terrifying suggestion in the book (for colleges and universities) was that public institutions with low graduation rates would be subjected to reduced state funding.
The book was written based on findings from Washington Monthly that ranked the U.S. schools with the lowest six-year graduation rates among colleges and universities, including public ones like the University of the District of Columbia (8%), Haskell Indian Nations University (9%), Oglala Lakota College (11%), Texas Southern University (13%) and Chicago State University (13%). These stats were published in 2010 so they are not the most current available but a quick scan of the University of the District Columbia’s official page shows graduation rate numbers through the end of the 2003 – 2004 school year. The past nine years are nowhere to be found. The school boasts 51.2 percent underrepresented minorities in the study body, including 47 percent that are Black – but what good are those numbers if these students are not actually benefitting from their time in college because they receive no degree?
In the case of Chicago State University, the latest statistics show some improvement from the 2010 ones. The six-year graduation rate is up to 21 percent – but the transfer-out rate is nearly 30 percent. The school has 92 percent underrepresented minorities that attend – 86 percent who are black and 70 percent who are female – but again, what good does any of that do if these traditionally disadvantaged students are not graduating?
In all cases of college dropout factories, the P-12 institutions chalk up a victory on their end. They graduated the students and also saw them accepted into a college. What happens after that is between the students and their higher education choices.
This, to me, is a problem. The accountability for student success extends beyond the years that they are in P-12 classrooms. Graduation from high school, and acceptance into college, should never be the final goal of P-12 educators. That is not a victory. That is only halftime.
As far as the colleges and universities are concerned, higher accountability should be demanded from educators, students, parents and really any Americans that want the best economy and highest-educated population. Public institutions, in particular, should be subject to restructuring or take over if dropout rates are too high. The lack of delivery on the college degree dream at many of these schools is appalling, frankly, and has gone on long enough.
What do you think an accountability system for colleges should look like when it comes to dropout rates?
Colleges have to be responsible for the success of their students — especially since they are paying customers. In what other industry would it be okay to pay a premium and then not get the expected results? Students need to have self-discipline but colleges should be working hard to give their students every opportunity to succeed in the classroom and out in the real-world.
Colleges HAVE to work harder to graduate students and then help them find jobs. It just has to happen. Dropout schools need to face consequences and be exposed for what they are.
Higher accountability for colleges is crucial – students need to act as adults, yes, but they also need guidance and assistance throughout the course of their college years. They have a lot on their shoulders, so sometimes dropping out may seem like the best choice at the time. Colleges need to find ways to support their students and also aid in helping students find positions after college graduation, if possible.
As a faculty member at a small private college, I agree with accountability and much of what is said in this article; but the problem is more complex. I’ve been here for 27 years and during that time I have seen student college readiness go steadily downhill. Perhaps the biggest factor: more students simply don’t read. If they don’t read regularly, reading comprehension is poor. Their writing skills are subpar. Most important, their critical thinking skills are poor. We receive these students and have to spend the first year or so trying to get them to a college readiness level. THEN we have to get them through college. On top of this, more students are financially on the edge, so they work many hours to try to afford college (even a community college can be costly). Finally, I find anxiety to be pervasive among today’s young people. Anxiety can be crippling and prevent their academic and professional success unless treated.
All that being said, I firmly believe that most colleges can do much more to assist students in progressing successfully to graduation. At my colleges, many of us work on an individual level with students, but not everyone does. And it makes a difference. Student support services need to be bolstered and enhanced. While I don’t feel that colleges are responsible for finding students jobs, they certainly can work a lot harder at professional preparation. It’s gotten better – I attended an Ivy League school that never showed me how to write a resume! (and my blue collar parents certainly didn’t know how…) – but every major and department need to emphasize professional preparation.