The value of education

Driving home last evening, I listened to a rebroadcast of an interview with several college admissions officers discussing the proposal that colleges be ranked by value. It became more clear to me as I listened that there is something very wrong about reducing education to a ranking of value-- financial value.

Now, I understand the reasons for a government role in identifying value. I am familiar with the dubious claims made by many college and universities, especially the for-profit institutions. When it became clear to me what was happening in one, I resigned as an adjunct faculty member. Marketers of these institutions make exaggerated and largely unsupported claims about the financial security of graduates.

To make all institutions of higher learning jump through the same hoops as those that make dubious claims seems contrary to reason. It is the same approach to punishing all for the actions of a few that pre-service teachers (in credible teacher educator programs) are warned against.

The value of my education extends far beyond my economic life- and as an educator, the financial value of my education has been far less than my classmates. I can pick up a book about science (my undergraduate major) and read, understand, and enjoy it because of my education. I can take children to museums and enjoy their curiosity. I can write and speak and otherwise participate in creating the field of education. All of these have limited financial value, but are among the most valued aspects of my life.

The price of education is increasing at a rate that would scare me if I was entering college. We need to help young people understand those costs and options for minimizing the cost of earning education credentials. We need also to recognize that education leads to a living and to a life that is experienced in ways other than money.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/college-value-rankings