Education News

Story #1:

NEW YORK (AP) -- For decades, getting more students into college has been the top priority of America's higher education leaders. But what's the point, a growing number of experts are wondering, when so few who go to school finish a degree?

Just 54 percent of students entering four-year colleges in 1997 had a degree six years later -- and even fewer Hispanics and blacks did, according to some of the latest government figures. After borrowing for school but failing to graduate, many of those students may be worse off than if they had never attended college at all.

So let me get this straight: You want EVERYONE to go to college - even those who are woefully unqualified, yet are surprised when these same people don't graduate.

Story #2:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four of every 10 teachers hired in city school systems have something troubling in common, a study contends. They may not be wanted by the schools.

Urban principals often are forced to hire poor performers or teachers who are just not a good fit, the study says, because of union rules that give preference to veteran teachers.

Overall, as many as 40 percent of urban teachers are hired with little or no choice on the part of their principals, according to The New Teacher Project. The group works with some of the largest urban school systems to recruit and hire teachers.

What? Lousy teachers? Unions pushing lousy teachers? Principals being forced to hire lousy union teachers? Pops never told me about this.