Last week, I mentioned the new study showing that the US now ranks 11th in “college participation and predicted that it would be turned into a lever for more higher education spending. Read this silly column and you’ll see what I mean. Gosh, how can we compete in the worldwide knowledge-based economy if we have a smaller percentage of college grads than some other countries?!
Notice also the ridiculous thinking of Virginia’s Governor Mark Warner. He reasons that because on average people with college degrees earn more than do people with only high school diplomas, it will be a paying proposition for the state to get more students into college. The mistake is obvious. What’s true on average is not necessarily true at the margin. The students Warner would lure into college are, of course, those with the weakest academic track record and the most likely to drop out, or gain no benefit from years in college.
