Who Needs College?

Who Needs College?

By most of the today’s high school aged students, college is regarded as the only way to ensure a successful future. Teachers and school administrators have spent years drilling this into their heads.  But in reality, students should only try entering college if they are there for the purpose of learning.  College should be viewed as a step on the stairway to a job that pays a certain amount of money.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what has occurred in the US.  The result is a lot of bored or unmotivated college students entering universities in hopes of getting a “ticket” to a job that pays more than other jobs, but this isn’t always the case and should not be a factor in such an expensive and life altering decision.  Many people who do not have a college degree earn more money than people who have a degree.  If money is the only reason a person is considering going to college, then that is a sign that he or she should probably not be there.

Education from Poverty

Education from Poverty

Millions of children in the US live at or below the poverty level, placing them at high risk of not completing their basic, free education through grade 12, and of not going on to find jobs that pay enough money to live on after dropping out, or even graduation for those who stay.  This is a serious social issue plaguing our nation, and unless it is reversed, we will see generations of children who never rise from poverty.  This is not only true in the US, but also in many developing countries overseas facing the same struggles.  How can the cycle of generational poverty be broken by education?  Let’s look at some figures.

What Teachers Should Be Paid

What Teachers Should Be Paid

Teachers in America  do not earn as much money as other professionals like lawyers and doctors.  The average US teacher salary is about $45,000 USD per year, well under the salaries one could typically expect in a field requiring rigid education requirements and licensure.  In fact, in a recent survey, most people polled agreed that teachers should earn at least $60,000 per year.  Asked why, the people expressed their belief that teacher salaries have a direct correlation with student performance. 

Teachers Unions Demystified

Teachers Unions Demystified

Teacher’s unions are a controversial topic in a nation sorely divided by partisan politics, where federal and state funding can depend on factors that, sadly, are not in the best interest of America’s young people, the students in our public schools, who ought to be top priority for all parties concerned.  Too often the special interests of teachers, politicians, and lawmakers get in the way helping to facilitate genuine achievement in schools.  Teacher’s unions, according to many, are no small part of the problem.

Education Trends through 2015

Education Trends through 2015

In 2000, only 9% of all college students had ever taken a course online.  That has all changed in the last ten years, and even more change is anticipated as more and more people, whose lives are already filled with day to day routines involving family, careers, and other obligations flock to online education as the answer to their academic needs. Online education makes college, whether undergraduate degrees or advanced degrees, accessible to people classified as non-traditional students — or, those who cannot attend college on campus full time because they are already in career status or have families to care for, and even those with physical impediments that might make attendance in person impossible for medical reasons.