Introduction
Higher education exists to produce knowledge. This mission is accomplished by researchers and teachers, working in cooperation, with the goal of producing educated citizens. It is through research, innovation, and teaching that we improve our society. Education of the whole person was one of the earliest goals of higher education. Today there are many competing goals that influence the missions and funding philosophies tied to public universities. In chapter one of How to succeed in school without really learning: the credentials race in American education, David Labaree (1997) identifies three defining goals of education. In order to provide context to how the three goals can be in competition or alignment, two pieces will be used to analyze the goals. The first is an article regarding the role of the government in financing higher education (Baum, 1995) and the second document, The Arizona higher education enterprise: Strategic realignment 2010 forward, is the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) strategic plan (ABOR, 2010).
The Defining Goals of Education
The three goals of education are: social efficiency, social mobility, and democratic equality (Labaree, 1997). They are best understood by comparing and contrasting them according to various philosophical dimensions used to answer questions like, “how much education should one person get?” or is “higher education intended to be a public or private good?”
Social Efficiency
If higher education’s purpose was solely based on the goal of social efficiency students would only get as much education as they needed for a job, and no more. This educational attainment is not driven by competition or status. It is a combination of private and public interest, but viewed more ...
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...igher education. The three goals cannot all be met without sacrificing an element of one goal for the promotion of another. The goals will frequently be in conflict with one another providing opportunity for critical debate about the central mission of higher education.
Works Cited
Arizona Board of Regents. (2010). The Arizona higher education enterprise: Strategic realignment 2010 forward. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Board of Regents.
Baum, S. (1995). The federal role in financing higher education: an economic perspective. Paper presented at the National Conference on the Best Ways for the
Federal Government to Help Students and Families Finance Postsecondary Education October 8-9, 1995.
Labaree, D. F. (1997). How to succeed in school without really learning: the credentials race in American education. (pp. 1-52).New Haven, Conn.: Yale University
Press.
The article, The Value of Higher Education Made Literal by scholar Stanley Fish focuses on sharing his opinion of higher education and what it has become in recent years. Mr. Fish’s argument is essentially over the “logic of privatization” where students are pictured as “investors” or “consumers” in courses of study that maximize successful employment outcomes. He also believes arts, humanities, and social sciences are overlooked while study courses in science, technology, and clinical medicine are prioritized. Fish also strongly believes the value of higher education has changed due to the desires of students over time, desires of becoming extremely financially secure enough to buy more than needed to justify years of money and hard work applied when in school.
The biggest question or dispute regarding the cost of higher education is finding the appropriate monetary and economical equation to determine the percentage of personal and public responsibility. The above debate has been in question since the 1800’s when Thomas Jefferson stated; "I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people. No other sure foundation can be devised, for the preservation of freedom and happiness ”. Those important words that called attention to the importance of having an educated citizenry in order to preserve democracy are until this day, words by which legislator...
Louis Menand, a professor of English and American literature at Harvard University presented three different theories for higher education in an article for The New Yorker named, Live and Learn: Why We Have College. Menand (2011) claims that the reasons for college are meritocratic, democratic, and vocational. These theories are great models for the purpose of higher education in our culture, at different points in our history. As a nation, there are definite intentions behind the way that instruction is conducted in our colleges and universities. The techniques adopted by institutions of higher education are no mistake and they are designed to serve a purpose. These methods evolve with time and shape the way that generations think and reason. In our generation, the purpose of higher education in our culture is to sustain the nation atop of the worldwide economy.
Education holds power over determining one’s class. Knowledge and refinement can set one individual apart from another who lacks the qualities of successful individuals. Finances and opportunities distinguish class meaning the lower class has difficulty in obtaining the same conditions of the upper class. Education ultimately dictates success and power in society. Education is taken for granted and should be recognized for the significance it possesses.
Success. Society tends to correlate “success” with the obtainment of a higher education. But what leads to a higher education? What many are reluctant to admit is that the American dream has fallen. Class division has become nearly impossible to repair. From educations such as Stanford, Harvard, and UCLA to vocational, adult programs, and community, pertaining to one education solely relies on one’s social class. Social class surreptitiously defines your “success”, the hidden curriculum of what your socioeconomic education teaches you to stay with in that social class.
Academic excellence is the primary desire of every parent and student. However, there are varying perceptions of the role of education in the life of and individual. According to the survey carried out on the perception of the role of education in the life of an individual, it was established that eight out of ten students were of the view that they pursued education for the purpose of economic gains. Additionally, six out of ten students viewed education as serving the purpose of broadening their view and perceptions in life. Accordingly, the widening of the will help them rethink their ideas and values. This essay will focus on the reasons why students attend college and barriers to education in light of the book Rereading America.
Community colleges and universities all belong to higher education, but actually they do not have the same requirements for their students. Peter Sacks is a college teacher. With Sacks’ teaching experiences, he believes that “nobody in the system had much of a stake in shoring up educational standards” which shows his dissatisfied about the current education system. Sacks thinks higher education should only be provided to students who can do excellent job on studying. However, only a few universities hold their applicants to this high requirement. Indeed, the phenomenon that Sacks finds is correct, many community colleges and universities have low requirements for students, but Sacks does not see the good part of this low requirements. If higher education includes different requirements, more people will be able to accept better education than high school, and this will be helpful for themselves and society.
Nguyen, Dung. The True Purpose of College and Higher Education. 2000. Delta Winds. Web. 15 April 2014
Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it, and there is no simple answer to this rising issue in an ever changing nation full of unique people. Any final decision would affect the United States in all factions- especially economically and socially. However, despite the many arguments against college, there is overwhelming proof that college is good for all students, academically or not.
The critical challenge within in today’s society is that college tuition should be free or if not free, more affordable for all students. Certainly, higher education should not be considered a luxury where only the wealthy could afford, but an opportunity for all caste systems. It must be an accessible and affordable opportunity for all students in order for them to invest in their education. Higher education is important because it provides more careers to choose from than the careers offered without having a college degree. Ultimately, the issue here is whether it is right to make college tuition more affordable for the students.
In conclusion, education is broader than just falling into what the contemporary school system has to offer. Both Gatto and Graff proved this by explain how conforming students to certain perspectives of education limits their potential in other educational branches that interest the students. Also, curricula should bring a balance between making a school a place for obtaining information, and accommodating the educational demands for each individual student. It is imperative to understand that reforming the academic system, by fine-tuning schools to have its students learn what exactly they are interested in, will lead to having students accessing their full intellectual potential.
The argument for free higher education is not only an economic issue but a moral one as well. Currently, social mobility in the United States is at or clos...
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