Issue Overview: College education

Issue Overview: College education

By , adapted by Newsela staff on 11.15.16 Word Count 986

Ciearra Jefferson celebrates her graduation with her class after President Barack Obama delivered the Howard University's commencement speech on Saturday, May 7, 2016. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Since the 1600s, Americans have argued over whether a college education is worth the time and money. With 20.2 million U.S. college students in 2015 and average student debt at over $28,950, the debate continues today.

People who argue that college is worth it contend that college graduates have higher employment rates, bigger salaries and more work benefits than high school graduates. They say college graduates also have better social skills, live longer, have healthier children and have showed that they can achieve a major milestone.

People who argue that college is not worth it say that the debt from college loans is too high. It delays saving for retirement, buying a house or getting married. They say many successful people never graduated from college and that many jobs, especially trade jobs, do not require college degrees.

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College In America, 1600-1900

Colonial America produced nine colleges that still operate: Harvard University (1636), the College of William & Mary (1693), Yale University (1701), Princeton University (1746), Columbia University (1754), Brown University (1764), Dartmouth College (1769), Rutgers University (1766) and the University of Pennsylvania (1749).

Colonial colleges were mainly founded and attended by wealthy people, and focused on general education and moral character. The goal of the college was to produce Christian gentlemen who would inherit family businesses, go to church and be responsible leaders in the New World. Colonial college tuition costs and the loss of an able-bodied man from the family farm or business made college impossible for most families. About 1 percent of white males aged 18 to 21 attended college. Colonial colleges excluded women.

State universities came into prominence beginning with the University of Georgia (1785) and the University of North Carolina, which opened its doors to students in 1795. In 1833, Oberlin Collegiate Institute, now Oberlin College, admitted women to a "Ladies Course" program. In 1837 Oberlin admitted four women to the regular program, three of whom graduated in 1841 with degrees.

The 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act gave federally controlled land to states to open "land grant" colleges. They were required to focus on "useful arts" like agriculture, mechanics, mining and military instruction and thus often included "A&M" (Agricultural & Mechanical) in their names. Many craftsmen were skeptical of college training and distrusted scholars and scientists. A college degree was still seen by many as a social marker rather than a mark of educational attainment.

College In The Early 1900s

The early 1900s saw institutions created to educate groups excluded by traditional colleges like women, blacks, immigrants and Roman Catholics.

Although tuition had seen no major increases, the price of college was still too high for the average family. For the 1907-1908 academic year, Brown University charged $105 for tuition, $48 for "incidental fees," $60 for room, $150 for food, and $30 for books and lab fees. It totaled $393 per year, which equaled $9,535.67 in 2012.

Between 1920 and 1945, the number of college students grew from 250,000 to 1.3 million, and the percentage of college students rose from 5 percent to 15 percent. However, a white person was four times more likely to attend college than a black person. Women made up about 40 percent of college students but were still being trained separately from men as teachers, good wives and mothers.

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WWII Through The 1980s

After World War II, attendance at colleges and universities skyrocketed

The 1944 GI Bill had a huge impact on education in America. The law paid for the education of military veterans, and allowed millions more people to get a college education and enter the middle class. By the beginning of the 1945 to 1946 school year, 88,000 veterans were accepted into the program; and by 1950, 14 million veterans were getting an education through the GI Bill.

Government Pell Grants, which gave money to students, began in 1972 and made college possible for many students. By 1978, the financial aid focus changed from grants to loans that had to be paid back, increasing the amount of debt a graduating college student owned.

During this time, the concept of a college education changed. Instead of educating half of high school graduates, universities were expected to educate them all.

Meanwhile, colleges were opening to diverse student populations. The 1972 Title IX and other affirmative action laws stated that women and black students could not be discriminated against.

The 1970s also saw the shift from higher education for education's sake to a need for preprofessional studies to get a job after graduation. For many, a college degree was required to be considered middle class and to get a middle-class job.

In 1970s and 1980s, people began really questioning whether the return on a college degree was worth the investment. In 1971, a male college graduate earned 22 percent more than a high school graduate, but by 1987, the earning gap was 38 percent. The 1980s also brought a dramatic increase in the cost of college, which was rising faster than inflation and the average family income.

College Enrollment And Costs, 1990s To The Present

The 1990s and 2000s saw a rise in enrollment and tuition costs, and a steadily lower unemployment rate for college graduates. College enrollment increased 11 percent between 1990 and 2000 and increased 37 percent from 2000 to 2010 to 21 million students. The average college tuition in the 1990-1991 school year was $10,620 and rose to $18,133 in the 2010-2011 school year.

A 2011 Pew Research survey found that 50 percent of college presidents said college is meant to "mature and grow intellectually." A total of 48 percent said college should provide skills, knowledge and training to help succeed in the working world.

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The number of colleges and universities grew from 1,851 in 1950 to 6,900 in 2013. In the 1949-1950 school year, 2.66 million students were enrolled in colleges and universities. By fall of 2013, 19.9 million students were enrolled in colleges and universities.

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Quiz

1

What is the relationship between the introduction and the conclusion of the article?

(A)

Both emphasize the benefit of college for intellectual enrichment.

(B)

Both contrast the cost of college education today with its affordability in the

past.

(C)

Both argue that college is too expensive for the average person to receive

an education.

(D)

Both offer statistics to show the increasing cost of college education.

2

Read the section "WWII Through The 1980s."

Which paragraph in this section represents a shift in the article's development?

3

People who support college education and people who are critical of it are both MOST

concerned about:

(A)

its usefulness

(B)

its cost

(C)

its history

(D)

the number of people who attend

4

Which answer choice BEST explains the author's purpose in this article?

(A)

The author shows why some people support and some people are critical of

college education, while also detailing the history of college education.

(B)

The author critiques the usefulness of college education, while also detailing

the rising cost of tuition.

(C)

The author argues for more support of college education, while also claiming

that it should be more inclusive.

(D)

The author details the history of colleges in the U.S., while also stating that

the purpose of college is to train people for jobs.

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