The Graduation Rate Myth

Quicksearch

Blog Administration

Open login screen

RSS Readers

Friday, January 18. 2013

The Graduation Rate Myth

Weissberg: Higher graduation rates won’t help the economy because college reinforces bad work habits:

The fact that millions of college graduates are unemployed or wait tables is not a temporary aberration; it is an inexorable result of rational incentives.

and

Consider the essential qualifications of a good employee (and I offer this account as someone who once owned and ran a business). He or she must be punctual, honest, be able to complete tasks on time, first time around and as specified. Employees must politely pay attention when spoken to and are not excessively argumentative; they must dress appropriately for the job, have good hygiene (look “clean cut”), speak distinctly and, with few exceptions, possess adequate writing skills as well as being able to perform tasks without explicit detailed instructions.

Such workers get along with co-workers or customers. They show up even under adverse circumstances and if unable to work that day, take necessary steps to minimize their absence. They give a full hour’s work for an hour’s pay and willingly volunteer for extra work if necessary. They also know that work is also not the place to socialize on the firm’s nickel.

Posted by The Barrister in Education, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:53 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

Trackbacks

Trackback specific URI for this entry

No Trackbacks

Comments

Display comments as (Linear | Threaded)

That second block doesn't sound like the college kids I've heard most about.

#1 Sam L. on 2013-01-18 18:51 (Reply)

Is waiting tables somehow dishonorable work? Do these kids with no experience expect to start at the top of the ladder? Its tough to find a teenager these days holding down a job these days. Most folks have to hold down a few jobs on the low end of the stick to show they are trustworthy. Education does not denote trustworthiness. Just look at Washington for examples :)

#2 Sean G on 2013-01-18 20:41 (Reply)

I'm wondering how the minimum-wage laws affect waiter jobs.

#2.1 Sam L. on 2013-01-20 10:23 (Reply)

What my little brother learned from college is that he needed to move from New England to Portland to meet the "best people". So, he did, and found 100 other graduates applying for every waiter job. Who is running the businesses in Portland? Not theater graduates, that's for sure...

The fact that it took me so long to figure out that this system is broken is proof that I am really very dense.

#3 Avery on 2013-01-18 23:41 (Reply)

I shudder when I remember how I behaved as a new graduate. I waited some tables, too, but did a terrible, sullen job of it. I would be a much better waiter now.

#4 Texan99 (Link) on 2013-01-19 10:53 (Reply)

Our school district, in it's infinite wisdom, turned the daily schedule upside down. Used to be the high schoolers started their day at 7:10 or 7:20. Had to be up by 6:00am to get to the bus stop by 6:55. Junior highs then started next and lastly, the elementary schools.

Advantages:
1. Early wake up. Good training for high schoolers.
2. Get home early. Plenty of time for an afternoon job, homework, and chores.
3. Elementary school kids got on the bus in the day light in the morning.

So, someone did a study and guess what? They discovered that teens don't really enjoy getting up early. Oh, we must therefore pander to them. Now the elementary school kids get on the bus at 6:45 in the dark and the high schoolers don't get to school until around 9:00am. The don't get home until almost 5:00pm. They sleep in, they are lazy, and our system perpetuates their slothfulness. It really is sort of pitiful.

I worked at Hobbs Pharmacy through high school. Mr. Hobbs had a two shift schedule in the afternoons. 3:00 to 6:00 and 6:00 to 9:00pm. We worked an early or a late or both. Most of his daytime staff worked 9:00 - 3:00pm. Very neat. No more high schoolers on the afternoon shift now. No more lifeguards down at the pool in the afternoon. No more afternoon shifts at Publix. Most of those jobs now go to community college students.

Today's schedule:
1. Lounge in your bed until 8:45 then rush to school at 9:00am.
2. Sit around all day until 4:35pm.
3. Go home. Eat Dinner.
4. Play video games until midnight.
5. Sleep.

#5 Larry Geiger on 2013-01-22 09:15 (Reply)

Add Comment

Name
Email	(Your e-mail will not show in your comment)
Homepage
In reply to
Comment	By commenting on this site you agree to the site rules listed here. Email addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for email notifications. Quick reference guide: [i] italics [/i], [b] bold [/b], [u] underline [/u], [url] (web address) [/url]. More tips here. Enclosing asterisks marks text as bold (word), underscore are made via _word_. E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications. To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly. Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above: BBCode format allowed
	Remember Information? Subscribe to this entry

Maggie's Farm

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Categories

Quicksearch

Links

Blog Administration

RSS Readers

Friday, January 18. 2013

The Graduation Rate Myth