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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Costly colleges are useless for millions, Harvard reports

"The U.S. is focusing too much attention on helping students pursue four-year college degrees, when two-year and occupational programs may better prepare them for the job market," says Harvard's Pathways to Prosperity Project. Report summary here. Bloomberg story here.

"The 'college for all' movement has produced only incremental gains as other nations leapfrog the United States... Educators should offer young people two-year degrees and apprenticeships to achieve career success," said Harvard education-school dean Robert Schwartz.

“For an awful lot of bored, disengaged kids who are on the fence about completing high school, they need to see a pathway that leads them to a career that is not going to require them to sit in classrooms for the next several years,” Schwartz added.
Posted by Joseph N. DiStefano @ 5:47 PM  Permalink | 7 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:27 PM, 02/02/2011
    "Well, the world needs ditch diggers, too."- Judge Smales.
    — Wilhelm Von Humboldt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:10 PM, 02/02/2011
    George W. Bush, Yale B.A., Harvard MBA. I see the point of this report now.
    — Fernando08
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:49 PM, 02/02/2011
    After 12 years of college, I am still waiting for my 40K job. http://www.collegetruth.org
    — Roy Philipose
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:55 AM, 02/03/2011
    When most kids either drop out before high school or graduate despite being several grade levels behind, of course college is useless.

    Of course, the conservative answer to all this is to cut funding, when school performance is directly correlated with per-student spending.
    — workerholic
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:12 PM, 02/03/2011
    we in america will have the privilege of having the highest cost , smartest ? , and most in debt hamburger flippers in the world...
    better to learn a trade especially electric, HVAC, or plumbing than to go deep into debt with little job prospects for most but the absolute best... I liken it to sports figures... there are lots and lots that fall by the wayside and never make it to the big leagues.. probably like 2%.. the other 98% warm benches, get injured, or just fade...I would never recommend that anybody go $200,000 in debt for a college degree... one needs to chase happiness and contentment within their career .. and money (and certainly debt) will not buy happiness... 75% of all multi million dollar lottery winners are bankrupt within 7 years... poor and anonymous works for me...
    — HykyrJoe


7 comments
About Joseph N. DiStefano
Joseph N. DiStefano writes this blog to feed his PhillyDeals column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joe has been a member of Bloomberg LP’s New York Finance Team, wrote the book “Comcasted,” taught writing at St. Joseph’s University, and studied economics and history at Penn. Reach Joe at 215-854-5194 and JoeD@phillynews.com
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