The U.S has created one of the best systems of higher education which has produced marvelous scientific breakthroughs and has also fueled the economy. It has also ensured the cultural vitality of our society. The system has educated millions of learners. Access to higher education has offered wonderful prospects for societal and economic mobility.
But all Americans have not benefited from this system. Mainly the learners from small income families and minority groups are still inadequately served at all the levels of education.
What happened to scholarships?
Over the past two decades a striking culture change has taken place in America. More or less it was taken for granted that higher education was a public good. And now a well-educated population is no longer regarded universally as offering collective benefits to our community, our state, or our nation. Instead, higher education is more and more considered a private good that profits largely the individual who receives the degree.
Many colleges play the admissions game by changing their recruitment strategies to attract more students than those who have a strong academic profile. As a result, the average amount of a scholarship awarded by public and private colleges and universities to students in the highest income quartile exceeds the average amount of a an award provided to students in the lowest income quartile. This gap in scholarship awards has grown over time. In a nut shell, as the colleges and universities have grown increasingly selective, they have irrationally turned away African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and also the students from low-income families.
Provide teachers with tools
The main thing is to retain our education system without sacrificing our economy. For that we should build up self discipline and provide teachers with the tools needed. We must also ensure that the teachers are well equipped with the knowledge of the subject which they are teaching. Studies have shown the data that the U.S has the lowest high school graduation rate all over the world. And in case we are competing in a knowledge based economy we must provide our trainers with more resources.
The key to achievement in anything and everything one does is knowledge and understanding, and if the task is done without detailed understanding and knowledge then one cannot be prepared for higher "University" based education. And the education level has a major role in deciding whether our future will do well in today's aggressive marketplace or not. Such dispute and problem will continue until addressed.