For the nearly 18 million high school students entering college this year, their college education will likely be the most consequential investment they make. Sadly, that investment outcome has become increasingly challenging due to the continuous rising tuition cost.
Investing in college has historically provided significant benefits for many Americans, including greater career opportunities and higher earning potential. Studies have also shown that students gain in other ways, including enhanced quality of life, a deeper sense of purpose, and exposure to diverse populations.
But is that still true? As Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has advocated, “We need a system that’s inclusive, that delivers value, and that produces fair outcomes. ... It’s time to focus on what truly matters, delivering value and upward mobility.”
That question whether higher education is equal to achieving this is under intense examination given the fact that more than half of students leave school with debt, resulting in 45 million Americans holding student loan debt totaling approximately $ 1.7 trillion. Besides, calculating the precise value of education is certainly challenging as it depends on many personal factors such as a student’s post-graduation choices and career earnings potential.
It is crucial that our colleges equip students with the necessary skills to earn a living in the rapidly evolving economy of the future. Sadly, this is not always the case. Take Micron Technology for instance, which is building a $100 billion semiconductor production campus in New York. To meet Micron’s needs, officials are seeking to build a new workforce by pushing colleges not only to change their impractical education and training programs and produce more engineers but to also teach the necessary technical skills.
To completely change the trend of declining student registration and push the benefits of a college education, we must prioritize the measurement of relevant data. As former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg often says, “In God we trust. Everyone else, bring the data.”
【小题1】Which is a benefit of going to college according to the text?| A．Boasting a sense of pride. | B．Landing an ideal job later. |
| C．Living a life of top quality. | D．Meeting different people. |
| A．Career earnings potential varies with jobs. |
| B．Many students are in debt when graduating. |
| C．The education system is under examination. |
| D．Students face limited choices after graduation. |
| A．The government doesn’t support the company. |
| B．The company provides well-paid jobs for students. |
| C．Some colleges fail to offer students necessary skills. |
| D．The present education programs can meet its needs. |
| A．Is college worth it? | B．Ready for college? |
| C．Why go to college? | D．To study or to work? |
