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Importance of education as a social institution
Importance of educations
Importance of educations
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Summary of “Why College Shower Students With A’s” by Brent Staples In the marketplace, products of poor quality are able to sell based off of a shiny finish rather than a superior function, which is relatable to the education world where schools issue empty degrees. From community colleges to Ivy League schools, within a very short time period average scores have become excellent scores. Full-time teachers have several motives for handing out high grades: avoid unpopular class cancellation, submission to administrative pressure, and to earn promotions. Similarly, part-time teachers with less job security than their full time counterparts have cause to give in to pressure as well, succumbing to threats made by complaining students. There
In his essay, "Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s,” Staples claims that student grades are increasing for the wrong reasons, causing college degrees to become meaningless. Staples provides evidence that average grades have increased significantly over the last several decades, but claims that it is not because students are working harder. The real explanation for grade inflation, he argues, is the effect of grades on both students and their professors. Teachers give more A’s to receive better evaluations and increase job security. Students give more importance to their grades as a result of the rapidly increasing cost of a college education. Staples argues that modern
In Frank Bruni’s New York Time’s article, “The Imperiled Promise of College,” he argues that college is no longer a guarantee of success because students are not being properly motivated and guided into the programs that will provide them with jobs.
In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel makes it clear that he is disappointed and frustrated with what grades have become. He believes that grades have become commoditized and that students’ grades suffer because of their relation with money. Vogel also believes that students no longer take any risk with their education. I agree with Vogel that grades are being equated to money by students, that students’ work suffers because of grades, and that students no longer take risks in their educational process.
Today in American society, one feels pressured and obligated to seek higher levels of education. In the article “College prepare people for life” written by Freeman Hrabowski, he expresses his views on the many aspects in which college prepares one for their life; especially, financially. Having a college degree increases ones ability to get a job in comparison to somebody who has solely a high school diploma. However, many are faced with the irony of having to go into to debt, in order to work towards financial independence and security. In terms of socio economics, those who are stuck by poverty often cannot afford going into debt to exit their current ranking in the qazi caste system of poverty. Many argues that college prepares people for life, however one can disagree due to
In his essay, “Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s,” Brent Staples argues that grade inflation in colleges results in college degrees becoming less valuable. Staples points out that grade inflation is happening among all colleges and there are many factors contributing to this problem. Colleges are willingly giving students good grades that they do not deserve so that the course will not be omitted from the lack of attendance. Part-time teachers’ jobs are at risk because their position is not guaranteed. These teachers were sometimes threatened by the students saying they will complain if their grades are not adjusted for a higher score. With this being said, students are putting pressure on teachers, causing their jobs to be in danger.
In recent discussions of "Is College Worth It?" by John Green, a controversial issue has been weather-attending college worth it or not? On the one hand, some argue that colleges are not worth attending because it is too expensive and they do not need a degree to get a good job. From this perspective, many people do not apply to a college. On the other hand, however, others insist that college is worth attending because it is expanding the knowledge and give more opportunity to find jobs. In the words of John Green one of this view 's proponents, " Education gave me perspective and context." According to this view, college is worth to apply for because it enlarges the information that people have and expands their knowledge. In sum, then, the
While living our daily lives’ something unexpected might happen to us college kids. Something that no one ever wants to catch or have, the so called “Freshman 15.” The Freshman 15 is a way of saying that freshmen in college are going to gain at least fifteen pounds or more during the first year of college. No matter what college students do in their hectic life, there just never seems to be any time to do anything other than school work. There is no telling who will gain these horrifying fifteen pounds during their first year in college, it just depends on the choices a person makes while being in college. There are so many ways a person can gain the Freshman 15, but there are also so many ways to avoid gaining excess weight. The different ways to avoid gaining the Freshman 15 include: eating a healthy breakfast every day, avoiding late night snacks, getting plenty of sleep every night, avoiding overly sugared drinks and eating healthy on a daily basis. By eating healthy and making healthy lifestyle choices, students can avoid gaining the Freshman 15.
When it comes to education, it is about helping people discover, refine, and develop their gifts, talents, passions and abilities; and then helping them discover how to use those gifts, talents, abilities in ways that benefit others and oneself (Bull, 2015). However, with education, there are many places where this does not happen and learners may fall between the cracks. Schools are heavily measured on testing, student outcomes and student numbers that it has become the main focus to excel the school district—but what about the students? I recall a time where I was sitting in a classroom and the teacher was going over a math lesson. Many students struggled and were having a difficult time following along with the task. The teacher started
192). Therefore, the main caveat which Apple (2001) raises in his article and warns about relates to the possible future marketization of teacher education, when the teachers ' qualification and teaching aptitude will be evaluated according to the results of the students ' on international testings, as opposed to their professional experience and knowledge. Cochran-Smith (2008) in her article on teacher education in the US, uses the euphemism 'the outcomes trap ' (p. 276), implying that nowadays teachers ' quality is being measured through the testing scores of their students. These fallacious assumptions may lead the countries in trouble in the future, as Cochran-Smith (2008) warns, because teachers on their own cannot solve the problem of testing without the “investments in resources, capacity building, and teachers’ professional growth, not to mention changes in access to housing, health, and jobs” (Cochran-Smith, 2008, p. 276). This implies, that teachers should not be evaluated according to their students’ scores, neither should their professional development be constrained by the standardized testings, because apart from that they have own professional aspirations which are needed to be fulfilled. Ball (1998) also holds against the performance-based
Former professor of geophysics, Stuart Rojstaczer, in his informative op-ed piece, “Grade Inflation Gone Wild,” featured in “Christian Science Monitior(2009),” investigates grade inflation among universities today. Rojstaczer’s purpose is to inform and educate universities on the inflation of grades, and how an A has become the average grade among those schools. He adopts a dismissive tone when generalizing and addressing the students on their behaviors and actions. Rojstaczer found over 80 universities with data on they’re grades, using this he was able to better understand the inflation and also analyze possible solutions. His logos based writing portrays a negative connotation on todays students and their ability to achieve within the classroom. There is no hiding that the standard for grades has been on the rise sense the 1960’s, and is now at an average GPA of a 3.0, but rojstaczer may have lost his audience with his arrogant approach.
We see a constant struggle between students and professors when it comes to the grading scale. These differences make learning a hassle. “I am placed in the position of having to figure out new ways to trick them into learning by designing ingenious new ways to grade,” says Vogel (339). The present grading system pushes students to take easy classes. Students on scholarships are afraid of taking hard classes because they run the risk of loosing financial aid if their grades don’t meet the average (Vogel 339). Farber agrees, “Getting graded turns people away from hard subjects,” (334). He offers his readers a utopia free of grades. This new...
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
The Consequences of Grade Inflation When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well, and grade inflation encourages this thought.
Merit pay, accountability, and evaluations are three topics that are closely linked to teachers. For many years’ society, has seen struggling students and often decide to place
Columnist, Guest. "Test Scores and Teacher Competency." The Oregonian. Oregonlive.com, 4 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2014.