editorially /peaking
The Value of ~xcellence Until this society decides to take seriously the national embarrassment of what today. passes as ~ u b l i cschool secon. dnry rOu(.inion, go1n1and dnlir;ttnl teachers u,ill continue 10 'hurn (rut" i~nds t u d m ~ will s wntlnur to enter ndlere withuut the necessary skills to do college-level work. ~ v i d k n c econtinues to accu ulate that today's pre-college studentS are much better ingrmed in ge~ieral,hut that they have not been challenged academically. In the words of one observer, "These students are not mentally deficient, they are not being taught." Studies have shown repeatedly that homework is virtually absent in many high schools, and, while writing assignments may occasionally creep into high school English classes, they are seldom found in other areas such as the sciences. How do students who Dossess ooor skills eet into colieee? T o that rhetorical question, knowledgeable persons reply "easily." Many students are admitted easily because of their good grades that are easily obtained. It appears that the "best" students are no longer knockine the to^ out of standard achievement-type tests. Thus, not only are the averages on such testa declining, hut the top scores are moving down as well. In other words, fewer and fewer of even the best of the college-hound students exhibit the classical characteristics of intellectual achievement. The results of a survey of all colleges and universities in the United States, including Puerto Rico, indicate that the number of remedial courses or . programs has increased dra. maticallv in the last five wars. S~vvraldisturl~ingtrendsare retlerted and revraled in the following ol~serwtinni
.
Almost every U.S. college and university, of the 60% that responded to the survey, has at least one program or course that is remedial. Some large, state institutions place 50-60% of their entering freshmen in required courses "because they need rernediation."
65%of the students admitted tu a liheral arts college on the East Coast with a rather selective admissions policy needed remedial help.
Remediation programs are no longer aimed a t "culturally or educationally deprived" students. The information available indicates that some of the "best and the brightest" students enrolling a t selective institutions, as well as those entering hy the open-door policies of community colleges, require remediation in general. The precipitous decline in students' performances in basic skill areas is placing colleges and universities in the difficult position of supplying remedial work in addition to pursuing their traditional role of higher education. These pressures are placing many colleges and universities in the difficult new role of catch-up, and the data suggest that the situation has not hottomed-out yet. There is a growing fear that more and more resources in institutions of higher education will have to be directed toward remediation. Some observers feel that the catch-up role may cause traditional four-year undergraduate programs to he displaced by five-year programs. If remediation becomes rampant, taxpayers may well begin to question paying for courses twice, once in the public schools and then again in college. Many colleges and universities are responding by tightening up entrance requirements, but that may not be enough. The hope-the bright spot-in this morass lies in the fundamental qualities of the students. There is no reason to believe that the innate intelligence of today's young people is significantly less than that of past generations. On the other hand, there is an uneasy feeling that many of today's students have never been challenged intellectually. Research dating back 100 years has consistently shown that when excellence is expected and demanded, it can he achieved. Societal and financial support for excellence in teaching is required at all levels. Often excellent teachers dare to demand. Rut, important segments of our society are highly critical of demanding teachers-sometimes to the extent that they are forced out of the profession. Historically, our educational system gave rise to what was once the premiere technologically based society in the world. That potential still exists. It is, however, douhtful that we can hope to make correspondingly significant, hroad-based contributions to the modern world until excellence is once again JJL valued by this society.
Volume GO
Number 9
September 1983
689
