Colleges Should Focus on Students
Thousands of teenagers are choosing to go to college after graduating from high school, but are colleges giving students the right level of education for the amount of money that they, and their parents, are paying? In the article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”, college professors and authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus discuss the problems with colleges not properly educating their students. Hacker and Dreifus feel that most colleges are not doing their job correctly, professors are to blame for a lack of student engagement, and few colleges are accurately focusing on their students.
Colleges are failing in the way they are trying to educate students; they are hiring professors that are doing their job incorrectly and are expecting too much money. According to Hacker and Dreifus, “...Colleges are taking on too many roles and doing none of them well” (180). In other words, Hacker and Dreifus believe that they are spending too much money on their staff, and are not properly teaching their students. Colleges need to give fewer sabbaticals to their staff and need to halt tenure. Professors with tenure are found to teach at a subpar level. Hacker and Dreifus believe that they are receiving more money but continue teaching at the same level without feeling the need to improve their skills. This money should be spent on donations instead of paying their presidents $1 million salaries. These small changes would force professors to learn new teaching skills instead of sticking to their old tactics; this, in turn, would make better colleges.
Professors are not working hard enough to engage their students and are not giving students all of the opportunities that they need. In Hacker and Dreifus’ views, “Professors must make an effort to reach their students” (180). They use former Secretary of Education, William Bennett’s thoughts that professors need to “teach their dissertation or next article” (qtd. in Hacker and Dreifus 180). The essence of Hacker and Dreifus’ argument is that all students should be engaged in class; colleges should force their professors to work hard and get students to do the same. Around 64 percent of college students major in a vocational type of work that could eventually be considered impractical (180). Colleges should be guiding students to open their minds and work for something bigger than just what they think they can achieve. They should also open their minds to new advancements in technology that could allow their students to learn in a different type of way.
A worthwhile college should be focused on the students and be equipped to give them a solid education. Hacker and Dreifus state, “We, in fact, found some colleges that were doing their jobs well” (183). Hacker and Dreifus’ point is that while traveling around the country, they found few colleges that were doing honorable work and shaping their students to be ready for life after college. The University of Mississippi has fought adversity to become a civil and uplifting environment for all different types of people. At the University of Notre Dame, the president himself has taught undergraduate classes, and the college prioritizes the wellbeing of the students. Another example that Hacker and Dreifus found is Western Oregon University, a university that takes pride in keeping costs low for students and solely wants to educate undergraduates. These colleges, and others like them, are what all universities should be striving to become. Colleges should be practical for the students and should educate them well, above all else.
Authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus do not feel that colleges are doing their jobs well, have a lack of student engagement, and are incorrectly focusing on students’ education. In their article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”, Hacker and Dreifus focus on ways to allow students to get the most out of their education while in college. Students need to be more cared for while at college and deserve a quality education for the amount of money they are spending on school per year.
Colleges are failing in the way they are trying to educate students; they are hiring professors that are doing their job incorrectly and are expecting too much money. According to Hacker and Dreifus, “...Colleges are taking on too many roles and doing none of them well” (180). In other words, Hacker and Dreifus believe that they are spending too much money on their staff, and are not properly teaching their students. Colleges need to give fewer sabbaticals to their staff and need to halt tenure. Professors with tenure are found to teach at a subpar level. Hacker and Dreifus believe that they are receiving more money but continue teaching at the same level without feeling the need to improve their skills. This money should be spent on donations instead of paying their presidents $1 million salaries. These small changes would force professors to learn new teaching skills instead of sticking to their old tactics; this, in turn, would make better colleges.
Professors are not working hard enough to engage their students and are not giving students all of the opportunities that they need. In Hacker and Dreifus’ views, “Professors must make an effort to reach their students” (180). They use former Secretary of Education, William Bennett’s thoughts that professors need to “teach their dissertation or next article” (qtd. in Hacker and Dreifus 180). The essence of Hacker and Dreifus’ argument is that all students should be engaged in class; colleges should force their professors to work hard and get students to do the same. Around 64 percent of college students major in a vocational type of work that could eventually be considered impractical (180). Colleges should be guiding students to open their minds and work for something bigger than just what they think they can achieve. They should also open their minds to new advancements in technology that could allow their students to learn in a different type of way.
A worthwhile college should be focused on the students and be equipped to give them a solid education. Hacker and Dreifus state, “We, in fact, found some colleges that were doing their jobs well” (183). Hacker and Dreifus’ point is that while traveling around the country, they found few colleges that were doing honorable work and shaping their students to be ready for life after college. The University of Mississippi has fought adversity to become a civil and uplifting environment for all different types of people. At the University of Notre Dame, the president himself has taught undergraduate classes, and the college prioritizes the wellbeing of the students. Another example that Hacker and Dreifus found is Western Oregon University, a university that takes pride in keeping costs low for students and solely wants to educate undergraduates. These colleges, and others like them, are what all universities should be striving to become. Colleges should be practical for the students and should educate them well, above all else.
Authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus do not feel that colleges are doing their jobs well, have a lack of student engagement, and are incorrectly focusing on students’ education. In their article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”, Hacker and Dreifus focus on ways to allow students to get the most out of their education while in college. Students need to be more cared for while at college and deserve a quality education for the amount of money they are spending on school per year.
Works Cited
Hacker, Andrew, and Claudia Dreifus. "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189.
Hacker, Andrew, and Claudia Dreifus. "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189.