Students will have a disconnect between their plans for college and the cold reality of their readiness for college.

 

Parents, teachers and politicians tell kids that everyone in America has an equal opportunity, and that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.  But there are a few weeds among the wheat.  First, everyone is not equal; some are smart, others dumb, some are rich, many poor, etc., etc., ad infinitum.  Second, having a great opinion about oneself does not always make dreams come true.  In fact, an inflated ego is often a hindrance to success.  “Pride cometh before the fall.”  Humbly assessing ones true abilities, making good choices and working hard is what pays off.

“Approximately 1.2 million high school graduates — 40 percent of the number completing 12^th grade in 2005 — took an exam administered by ACT, Inc., the producer of out nation’s leading college admissions test.  Results showed that only half possessed reading skills needed to succeed in college.  Moreover, even fewer are ready for college courses in science and math.  ACT’s chief executive, Dr. Richard Ferguson, fears that hundreds of thousands of college-bound students ‘will have a disconnect between their plans for college and the cold reality of their readiness for college.’

It should be obvious that the enormously expensive government school system is failing.  Test results from groups other than ACT confirm that, compared to students from other nations, Americans rank near the bottom of most categories of learning.  Yet educators and politicians continue to recommend more funding for education when it should be obvious that money hasn’t solved the problem.  The best course for reversing this frightening trend is for the federal government to get out of education entirely.  If state and private educators were left alone to create schools and curricula without meddlesome federal interference, the quality of education would surely rise.”[1]

Home scholars have recognized this fact for years.

[2] From an article in the November / December  Issue of  The Wild Man’s Journal, www.catholicgentleman.com Copyright © Tom Walsh 2005