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How did the United States shift from being the world leader in higher education to falling so far behind in enrollment and completion rates? Budget cuts in our education system has now forced most public schools to raise their tuition fees to compensate for the loss of funds and as a result, our students just can't afford to go to college anymore.
A new report shows that the baby boomer generation has more college degrees than the present generation of college students. Unfortunately, we are now watching a generation of mental capabilities fade away because they are less educated. This is the first time in our history that we experience an educational decline in the younger generation. It's getting harder to find a ninth grader that's enrolled in a four-year university course. The percentage of transitions from high school to college has dropped from 45 percent to 37 percent.
The majority of American families are now living paycheck to paycheck and can no longer afford a college education for their children. Pell grants would cover 70 percent of the total cost of a year at a four year university back in the 1990's, it has now dropped to half of that as a percentage.
Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, says, “we are moving backwards.” We are witnessing a regression because tuition is increasing faster than income, inflation and even health care. College tuition costs about 31 percent of a family's income, but those in the bottom 20 percent end up contributing 73 percent of their total income to pay tuition fees.
So what are our financial priorities? If the state cannot or will not provide funding for this and future generations, will the enrollment rates continue to decline? If we are not very careful, our college system will revert back to the “elite establishment” we all worked so hard to escape. Our children are our future they deserve better.
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