LAWRENCE, Kansas – At a time when four-year college graduation rates are falling, it seems that putting a program in place to expedite high school graduation might be a bit off the mark. But that’s exactly what the National Center on Education and the Economy wants to do. As part of an initiative announced last week, a select group of schools in eight states will begin offering – among other things – an option to take a series of “rigorous” exams that would allow students to graduate high school two years early.

It should be noted that the organization, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is seeking first to improve the quality of the education offered. Now, I’m all for improving the quality of education in high school. Being from the Atlanta area, I was in school during an ongoing effort to make vast improvements to the city’s abysmal public school system. It’s unquestionably something that needs to be done. But I fail to see the reasoning behind pushing kids through faster.

A New York Times article in May 2009 examines steps some schools had taken to eliminate the need for “pre-college remedial courses.” The story references a 2008 report, titled “Diploma to Nowhere,” that sheds light on the pervasiveness of remedial classes at both two- and four-year colleges.

I have no doubt that improving high schools would help alleviate the future woes of kids trying to graduate college, but what about the kids already in college? Let’s face it, not all colleges are created equal, and you’re kidding yourself if you believe otherwise.

Sure, a student with drive, discipline and a desire to learn can still get a good education at most places. And students must take ownership of their own education. The question still remains: do colleges and universities function to provide optimal benefit for its students?

I know plenty of people – intelligent, capable people – who’ve excelled academically yet have needlessly spent superfluous months and years in college simply because of the inefficiency of the institution. At universities especially, few academic policies or requirements apply to all degree programs, communication between disciplines is often horribly lacking and required courses are sometimes offered on such a limited basis that graduating “on time” is simply not an option.

Furthermore, while reports such as Diploma to Nowhere point to parents and students overvaluing a high school diploma, what about a college degree? A bachelors degree has never been worth less than it is today, making the prospect of graduating college even less appealing. Colleges and university’s still advertise themselves as career gateways, giving false hope to thousands if not millions of students. With few exceptions, many of the majors offered are so ubiquitous that they border on irrelevance.

With so many high-profile athletes leaving college early for lucrative professional careers, some of the wealthiest Americans lacking college degrees and countless recent graduates finding themselves either unemployed or working in minimum wage jobs, college is a tough sell. And that doesn’t even begin to account for the financial burden.

These are problems that have built up over many years, and don’t expect it to end anytime soon. Progress is slow and limited. By the time any significant changes could ever be made to the entire system, the current generation of high school and college students will have effectively sacrificed their own educations to the cause.

In the meantime, we might as well take a step back to appreciate that we’re part of history. We are perpetuating the biggest con of our time.

Feels good, doesn’t it?

Filed under: College, Opinion/Editorial