College degrees used to be something America could brag about. As of the 1980s, we were the world leaders in college degrees amongst 25 to 34 year-olds. The sad news is that we have not maintained our success and have been significantly passed by. We now rank 12th among 36 developed nations led by Canada. According to the College Board, this threatens to undermine America’s economic competitiveness.
It turns out that access to a college education is not the only problem here. Almost half of all high school grads who enroll in college do not stick around long enough to graduate and earn a college degree. The college graduation numbers are even worse for those who attend community college. This is a real problem as workers who earn higher degrees tend to have lower unemployment rates and earn more over the course of their careers.
The good news is that the powers that be are aware of this problem and are focusing their attention on it. You can get all the details from this great article written by Tamar Lewin in the New York Times.
photo credit: Big C Harvey