Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog had a range of reactions to President Barack Obama’s push for a government rating system for colleges that would measure schools on their affordability and success in graduating students. The ratings could potentially affect federal financial aid to the schools. Here is a sampling of responses under the posters’ chosen screen names:
MotherofTwins: While I am all for keeping tuition costs as low as possible, I don't think this approach is wise. First of all, there are already college ratings related to return on investment. Second, state schools work pretty hard already to keep tuition costs low. I believe college is a natural progression to education for some, and a lofty goal for others. I don't understand the concept of college for all. There are many paths to independence, and while college graduates tend to earn more than those with high school diplomas, there are certainly opportunities to earn a living without attending college. Information technology comes to mind — one can become certified in programming languages and do very well.
Robert: If we have a national rating system, then we will have more cases of political influence on those ratings.
Bu: The biggest reason for students taking so long to graduate is the students themselves. More and more are pushed into college right after high school and really don't know what they want to do. Maybe the feds could do better with creating a linked set of informational databases on careers — a one-source information portal that could be used by students and counselors to get more information. The students still need to figure themselves out on their own.
Edu: We once had a college rating system in this country called the free market. Government grants and mandates have increasingly stymied it — just as in so many other areas of the national economy.
Steve: The responsibility of raising children has been usurped by government and over time transformed from raising to maturity to raising children only to the point of domestication. Food, shelter, education and security are so heavily regulated that many, if not most, Americans require government programs to direct their daily decisions. Does this sound like an educated society? Hardly.
Sheared: So last year we have Obama "looking out for students" by defending the supply of low-interest-rate student loan dollars. Then, this year, outrage over the rising price of education. I want to cry, but I have to laugh.
Personal: Again, the federal government is sticking its nose where it does not belong. Let each state determine its role in higher education and the money. While I agree we need to prepare our children for a future, that can mean a variety of things: college, trade school, community college, whatever it takes for students to be employed in the future and suits their ability. Yes, maybe we need to educate our own before we accept students from outside the United States. But a rating system is not the answer.
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