A degree should be backed by skills
Every day we see politicians, educators and journalists calling for higher graduation rates in the high schools and the state universities. But graduation rates do not measure quality in education.
It is well known that the high schools routinely graduate students who don’t have the skills that a diploma is meant to certify. The same is true of the colleges. If schools are rewarded for higher graduation rates, then they have an incentive to graduate even more unqualified candidates.
The effect is to cheapen the degree: Employers soon find out that these young people can’t do the work expected of graduates.
Students who demonstrate the expected skills may need bottlenecks removed so that they can graduate in a timely manner. Students who do not demonstrate these skills should not graduate.
Too often a high graduation rate indicates a lack of institutional integrity. Universities whose desire is to accept applicants lacking the skills taught in high school and then expect to retain and graduate them must be reminded that there is a difference between a plan and a dream.
Terry Miller, Fresno
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 6:26 AM with the headline "A degree should be backed by skills."