I agree With almost everything you have written here except for one simple fact that is missing. Not everyone is made to go to college. The "sense of entitlement" revolution is among us right now. There are so many political things that can be brought into this conversation but the simple fact is we still need someone to flip burgers, to empty our garbage cans and as on the TV show "The Middle" pick up dead animals in the side of the road. Until that perception changes colleges will see the demand for their services and supply a higher cost. Isn't THAT how it works anyway??

1. College tuition is exponentially too expensive.
2. We need more jobs, which means businesses need to feel there is some predictability and stability around which to plan for the future (read: lower taxes, less governmental intrusion in areas it is woefully unprepared to tread, not to mention unneeded).
3. My opinion is that the college degree/education that most of these young people are now getting does not prepare them for anything like the real world. More education does not necessarily equate to more intelligence or a better prepared entry-level worker.
3. More math classes for adults.
3. Just kidding about the last two.

Beth--Thank you for your column. I've often wondered why the heck anyone would strap themselves with the amount of debt some people seem to incur. Yes, it's nice to go to that out of state or fancy private college, but do you realize the toll it will take on your life for YEARS after you graduate (and maybe with a degree in that coveted field-Art History or Philosophy that's really worthless in the job market)? Here's a thought--parents, plan for your kid/kids' college education when they are born. Invest in some college bonds (did that), savings bonds (did that), savings account (did that) and be absolute about putting money in there EVERY pay day. Make sure your kid has a solid plan for college and some kind of major that might have the possibility of a job when they graduate (did that). Enough of this "they're just finding themselves" mentality. This isn't the kind of economy where you can waste $100,000 finding yourself. You can do that for a lot less. Enough of the self-indulgent "I want to take a film class because it'll be cool" (vetoed that). Make the college experience worthwhile. Sound crass? Eventually your kids will thank you--really. Some of my daughter's friends now have over $100,000 debt and no jobs. Their first payments (post law school) are looming and they are realizing their "quality of life" will be zero because of huge payments they'll be making. Was it worth it? Somehow I doubt it.

I spoke with a 20 something lass at OccupyChicago last week. She is $100,000.00 + in debt to study film at Columbia College. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

If you want to know why college costs have risen, I would say to look at supply and demand curve. Increasing the supply of tuition money via pushing debt obligation to students increases demand for available seats, and gives universities pricing power - to effectively rip off naive kids and their (co-sigining) parents who should know better.

The student loan fiasco, is the next subprime fiasco! The kids who took these loans are of the same mindset as those people who took out home loans that they could not pay off. Blame wall street, blame Obama for pushing these loans, blame colleges for pushing these loans to raise demand for their services, blame parents for losing track of one of the most fundamental economic principals apparently not taught in our public schools: Caveat emptor ( /ˌkæviːɑːt ˈɛmptɔr/) "Let the buyer beware".

Beth, Your observations about community college are absolutely correct. Years ago "junior colleges" got the reputation of being a last resort for kids who were not smart enough to go to a "real" college. They were viewed as offering an inferior education.

Whatever the case may have been then this perception could not possibly be more mistaken today.

While kids going off to universities are taking core courses in classes of 100 or more, often taught by grad students most community colleges offer these same courses in small classes taught by professional, experienced teachers.

Classes are usually sprinkled with adults returning to school and who bring a tone of maturity and purpose to the classroom. There is much more opportunity to get extra attention and help from staff who are not preoccupied with research and publishing.

Younger students are not exposed to the boozing and sexual activities as they may encounter living in dorms. They have more time to mature.

Studies repeatedly show that students who start in community college do better academically in the final two years of a four year school than those who spend all four years at that school.

Better education, much less cost, more time to mature before going off; what's not to like?

Beth,

Now the other side of the college debt equation. The US government spends nearly 10 times as much on defense as on education. Many other nations view education of their young people as the most important investment that government can make.

Especially in the 21st century there will be little opportunity for those without advanced skills of one sort or another.

Granted, our current system of education leaves much to be desired but how can that system be expected to change and improve when it is forced to spend so much time just trying to stay afloat? Our attitude seems to be "You are not doing the job and we will cut your funding until you improve". That's something like saying "the beatings will continue until moral improves".

We in the US seem to have developed a negative and distrustful attitude toward education and intellectualism. We need, somehow, to overcome that.

The quickest and surest way for this Country to become economically irrelevant in the future is to fail to make at least the commitment to education that we do to defense.

I simply did a Google search and compared several sites that offered figures on federal spending. Here are a couple:
www.usgovernmentspending.com/
www en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_spending

There are more. The figures all seem to pretty much agree.

The answer to a low cost education is the internet and video conferencing! We can get the best and the brightest and the most effective and engaging professors and broadcast their lectures and study guides to students across the country. One professor could be teaching his class to one hundred thousand students simultaneously! Students would not even need to leave their homes. Ambitious students would be able to complete 4 years in 2. Think of the cost savings! In addition, students would be able to change their field of study on the fly. Examinations could be taken on-line but that would take a really secure sight and a method of restricting the student from using other electronic devices to pass the exams.....so...we should have examination labs for tests only. Again, the costs saving would be in the billions and billions! We would rapidly forge ahead of the rest of the world in education. This is definitely on the way and may already be in use in other countries. Those parents that choose to send their kids off to drunken frat parties and sleeping in classes would still be welcome to do so and pay the going rate! That would be the Rich Family option! But the poor family would now be on an equal playing field! This could also be used in High Schools, Middle Schools, and Elementary Schools.....there would be no need for college educated teachers in the schools....just caretakers and supervisors and. Again...more billions in savings! mj

MJ,

Brilliant!!

Take it even further. Schools become "Lifelong Learning Centers" offering online courses, person to person instruction, guidance and motivation for ALL who wish to advance their education.

Instead of age grouping, regular classes, grades, etc. we establish criteria that must be met before a person can even apply for a job. These would cover the needed knowledge and skill for everything from ditch digging through neruo-surgery and all criteria would include a good grounding in the basics and knowledge that one needs to be a good citizen.

Every student, 5 years to 75 years can study what they need at their own pace. There is never any reason to stop learning and advancing.

Some sort of school is still necessary simply because kids need to be supervised while their parents work and all of us benefit from the face to face interaction and enrichment offered by working directly with others.

Traditional colleges might be replaced by a system of paid internships and national service as students grow older and begin to train for a specific career.

Are you familiar with the Khan Academy? Take a look at:

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Great article and even better discussion. Luckily my wife and I have been able to help our three children earn their college degrees. They all worked during the summer and they all have manageable student loans, we also have parent loans. Our oldest went to Purdue and earned a Civil Engineering degree. He took advantage of the Co-Op program working every other semester. One year he worked Spring and Fall and attended Purdue in the summer. He earned almost $40,000 and only had summer tuition to pay! He was immediately hired by his Co-Op company and they gave him 3 years credit in calculating for vacation and benefits. Our second son was lucky enough to earn an athletic scholarship to Loyola University Chicago and double minored in Finance and Economics. He has small loans but was immediately hired by Pepsico. Our daughter attended ISU and graduated with an Education degree. She has manageable loans because she went to a state school. She was lucky to obtain a full time teachers aid position in Huntley.
Living away at a four-year college can be done but the student themselves must be motivated and realize Mom & Dad usually can't foot the bill. While community colleges are a possible option, keep in mind that they are somewhat funded by local property taxes. As more students choose this option, it will cost homeowners more.

I new i was not the only one....your ideas are even better and more detailed! I will look at your link as am not familiar with the Khan Academy! Do you think the best and brightest in this field are purposely being ignored? This could result in a huge job loss for educators....or at least professorships....but we have too many and too few really good ones. They are at the highest paid institutions at the moment....but if they had the ability to sell their services as an on-line classroom ...at a much reduced rate of course, then we as a Nation would be far better off!

MJ, I don't know the answer to your question but I am sure of this: The entire concept of how we impart knowledge and skill to our children must change just as dramatically as the electronic age is changing the way we access information and communicate with one another. If you walk into a typical college classroom today you will find a professor imparting knowledge to his or her students much as Socrates did 2400 years ago! Enough!!! It's way past time we combined our current knowledge of how people learn with the means of communicating knowledge that we have today, and will have tomorrow.

We can----we MUST do much better.

And, I am absolutely convinced that utilizing the best available techniques to achieve the best possible outcomes could be done far far more efficiently and inexpensively than what we are doing now.

About MJ's comment about using the internet: doesn't anyone read the WCC catalog when it comes to their home? Community/junior colleges have been in the forefront of online and distance learning. Way back when I taught @ Joliet Jr. College and was one of the first instructors in their Distance Learning program. I (as I called it) "beamed" a class to Coal City H.S. and Morris H.S. from the Joliet campus. Later when I taught at WCC I developed online classes and taught Distance Learning classes that were broadcast to campuses in the district. These areas once were not served by traditional classes due to the distance from main campus--and the whole idea was to enable students at remote facilities to be engaged in their learning. Online education is another method WCC utilizes. All have experienced massive development since I was first involved in the programs over 20 years ago.

To paraphrase the intro to a bad tv show--we have the technology. We are building a very successful education system in this country. Phoenix University was built on the notion of providing quality instruction using technology. The University of Illinois created an online university and it has struggled to attract students since its inception.
Is online or distance learning as good as face-to-face instruction? In my opinion no, but times change and education is changing. We have to be flexible, and the internet provides that opportunity. Hey folks, check out the WCC catalog you just got in the mail!

I was speaking of federal dollars because I think that that is where original research and innovation must come from. Just as the National Institutes for Health tend to lead the way in medical research and innovation by their own, in house work and funding research across the country I think that the federal government needs to lead the way in education. The money being spent locally is being spent on actual education. Not much of that goes into research or innovation.

If the government spent as much on education research, innovation, and development as it does on developing new weapons systems I am sure that our education system woud improve.

By the way, I would like to clarify: those communities WERE and ARE in the WCC district, but their distance to the main campus can (especially in winter) be a disincentive to registering for classes. WCC now has 3 "remote" campuses and the main campus (much closer for so many students) and an extensive catalog of online and distance learning classes. Check it out folks--no driving, learn from home or a facility close to your home. It's there, it's available, and honestly, the price of a jr. college or community college is SO CHEAP compared to going to a university. Be smart about those prereq's folks, and keep in mind that WCC offers many career programs that are in demand in today's paltry job market.

Colin & MJ
Your plan might sound great but step back a moment. Do you really think MJ's comment "there would be no need for college educated teachers in the schools" won't bring the ire of every teacher in the country. This would never happen because the NEA and Teachers Associations would spend PAC (Political Action Committees) funds with the right people. Education has become it's own industry and has more political cloud than anyone can imagine. Personally, eliminating teachers would, without a doubt, cause more harm than good. The educational system needs reform but it that reform needs to make sense. I believe that elementary & high schools built as palaces is ridiculous. I do believe on-line courses, to a point, will be part of everyone's future because it makes sense.

Bob--totally agree. Online/distance learning is a marvelous OPTION, but as someone who worked in the "industry" (and is happy to be out of it) I can tell you there is NOTHING like face-to-face instruction. Our educational system in America needs work, but the obstacles are HUGE. Without people who care enough to be the watchdogs (kudos to you for that) the people there will do whatever they please because they truly believe they know better. Kind of like the old line from the comedy group Ace Trucking Company--one guy says "Hey, you can't do that." The other guy says, "Well--why not? I've been doing it for years and you never said anything." We all have to be the guardians at the financial gate. Money talks--you know what walks.

Bob, No, I do not believe for a minute that we can do without college educated teachers. I would like to see their role change from spending the majority of their time imparting information, testing, and grading papers in a traditional classroom setting (these things can be done better via computer) to working individually with students who are stuck on some online unit or need some other sort of help and offering enrichment experiences to individuals and groups as the opportunity arises.

All of this will require more teacher education, not less.

Take a look at the <TED.com> link that I posted above to see how this is currently working in a couple of schools in California.

I have also revised my thought about no need for College educated teachers in the schools...however, since most of the learning can be done on-line...and a teacher conference or interaction with a student, one on one, could be achieved with video or Skype technology....then we don't need as many teachers...and we won't need as many Schools to maintain. We will have more money to spend on athletics, music, art, and theater!

Yet another acknowledgement of the problem but dismissal of the solution. There are no well paying jobs available to allow millions of Americans drowning in student debt to pay them off. Seems to me you're only concerning yourself with the problem going forward, but ignoring the nearly $1 TRILLION in already accumulated student loan debt that's absolutely crushing millions of hard working tax paying Americans. Every college and university in the country has a financial aid office acting as agents for the lenders-do you honestly believe 17-24 year olds have the financial savvy to understand what they're getting themselves into when those in positions of authority constantly assure prospective students that repayment is not a problem? The entire system is corrupted and the problem of growing defaults on the nearly $1 TRILLION in outstanding student loan debt isn't going away on its own! For more info, please visit http://www.forgivestudentloandebt.com
-Robert Applebaum, Esq.-Founder

I suppose you would rather we wallow in the past and not change anything going forward. Yes there is a monster problem with student debt, but we need to change the system so that the cost for a college education is next to nothing...or at least back to the early 70's ...percentage wise! A vastly different educational and communication is at our doorstep, but people are afraid to go outside! The real key is in early childhood education. We need to apply the innovative tools that have already been developed so that all children have a fighting chance. Technology and innovation are the keys to our survival!

Robert I have bookmarked the website and will check it out. In my workings with three different university financial aid offices, I haven't felt pressure to maximize student or parent loans. Maybe the high schools should spend a semester in walking students through the college process from researching options, the application process through acceptance and financing options. They could also do on-line classes for parents, I have trouble accepting the statement that 17-24 year olds don't understand what they are getting into. If that is true then parents, high schools and the universities must share the blame. In my opinion, forgiving student loans is not the solution. What will be the next demand, that mortgages should be forgiven because they didn't realize they couldn't afford it? If finance courses need to be added at the high school level lets do it. They should be taught by teachers who have outside experience in the financial markets not someone who is book taught. Lets find a solution that won't ignore those students that did repay their loans.

MJ you are a very bright guy. I am sure that you hit a nerve when you suggested that with less school buildings more could be spent on athletics, music, art and theater. I can already can hear those students and parents clapping. Got to admit it, it does solve a problem that causes a divide in my school districts including Geneva.

Hey thanks for the compliment Bob.....but so far, all of these people are very bright. They have realized that there is a brand new world coming our way. They are communicating with each other from great distances and sharing their thoughts and dreams and disappointments with things the way they are and I think that's great. It's a true democracy...or so it seems so far in that everyone is allowed to express themselves. And the great thing about this form of communication....we can pause and listen...and learn from each other.

There seem to be two questions that we are dealing with: how to deal with the cost of college right now and what education might look like in the future. Very different things indeed.

The "right now" question is the most urgent for parents and students who have run up huge debts or are facing college in the near future. Bob is right, people need to learn what they are getting in to before the kids hit high school, maybe before they are born.

Our two daughters are grown. One did the Community College-Aurora Univ. to a masters in bi-lingual ed and did not run up huge debts. I got a job after retirement and paid off about half her loans. The other chose to go to American University in D.C., an expensive school. She got a good scholarship, was an RA for three years and, because our incomes were low, got good financial aid. I was teaching in a community college and had the assistance of our own financial aid office and it was still a very confusing maze.

Her senior year the University gave her an aid package in June then cut it in half in September. We nearly went to court on that. Two years after she graduated we got a check for $4000 from them saying that we had over paid.

If I were asked I would not know how to advise parents to prepare for or deal with college finances. Maybe get a good lawyer.

One year in community college will save you money, but two years will not. Two years will require that the student spend an extra year at the 4-year college un-learning all of the stuff that a community college tells students is right, when in fact, is very different than how 4-year college would have taught the same subject. It's proven fact for the private institution I went to and still work for, especially for those students that want to enroll in a pre-professional program. Use community college to get a few basic gen-eds out of the way, but don't use it a second year to try and take your core curriculum classes at a cheaper rate because it will really cost you in the long run.