I don't watch "The View" regularly, but I found a YouTube clip from the show titled "Should Mediocre Students Skip College?". The hosts were responding to comments Mayor Michael Bloomberg made suggesting that not all students are meant to go to college. I found myself disappointed in the discussion and I wanted to I forget it, but I can't, so I'm going to write about it.
First of all, a major political figure, college graduate, and leader of arguably the nation's most influential public school system making any statements about choice, achievement, and mobility is going to be noteworthy, which is why I found Bloomberg's comments incredibly irresponsible.
"Mediocre" may bring to mind images of a student who refuses to reciprocate the kindness and hard work of his teachers, but what we consider a "mediocre", "failing", or "successful" student is actually a source of great debate right now. While it may seem heartening in theory to think that an unmotivated student should do something outside of school, we know that's not as easy as it should be, especially when so many college graduates are unemployed or underemployed.
Different people learn in different ways, but the response to that shouldn't be "Leave school and learn a trade". There are some passionate advocates of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in high schools, but I take issue with how CTE is suggested and to whom. The fact is, in an education system that can vary widely in quality from neighborhood to neighborhood, there are different responses to the same issues. Where one school might offer tutoring to a student failing math, another might suggest the student drop out and pursue a GED.
Mayor Bloomberg didn't make his comments because our country needs more plumbers and electricians than we have. He couldn't have, because we also need engineers and doctors, which requires people go to college. While it would be cheaper to set up six-month training programs that offer a certificate at the end, it would be more desirable to develop rigorous college preparatory curriculums and robust extracurricular cultures...just ask the students. And if a student is underperforming, you can't just assume it's because they don't care; you have to ask. But maybe that's too radical for some...
Brooke Shields, a guest co-host, made the point that college is expensive and students are graduating with a lot of debt. True, but the argument "students are graduating with too much debt" does not lead to the conclusion "less students should attend college". Instead, it should beg the question "What should we do to reduce the student debt burden?".
Barbara Walters tried to defend the intention behind Bloomberg's comments, suggesting that he was trying to decrease the stigma attached to people pursuing careers in the trades. I might have been convinced IF Bloomberg had addressed his comments to any student who doesn't find our traditional educational structures appealing, but he said nothing like that.
According to the show, he said "mediocre" students, implying that high-achieving students shouldn't deign to pursue a trade. The idea that a trade is a good option only if every educational option falls through actually reinforces the stigma, and I worry about how educational professionals- teachers, counselors, social workers- will apply this thinking to their interactions with students who have been failed by our system and may not know how to advocate for themselves.
Mayor Bloomberg sets the tone for education reform in New York City and to some extent nationally, and this was an awful message to send to students who need more.
Watch "Should Mediocre Students Skip College? - The View" on YouTube
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