The Progress of Higher Education in America - Essay Example

?Debate continues to emerge regarding the progress of higher education in America. While there is a school of thought that believe much needs to be done to improve the education system, there are those who argue the education system is on the right track. Scholars who argue for improvement in the education system are of the thought that higher education in America is not inclusive. According to their argument, the minority groups are sidelined in terms of accessing higher education. In terms of progressive development, gaps are still noticeable in respect of education accessed by the males and females. In this regard, it seems the girl child still lag behind when considering right to education for all. Further, college enrolment at present day and time is shocking in the sense that, there is low college enrolment among the disadvantaged and minority groups. Socio economic factors, is also argued as another deterrent to progressive education in America, and this is evident among Hispanics, African Americans and the Asians. Surveys since 1980 have shown a static progress with respect to female enrolment in college (Ross & Kena 2012, p.5). The gap between the affluent and the disadvantaged has not changed for a while, and this provides the support for the argument that more need to be done to improve college enrolment in America. In a 2010 report, there is still a higher rate of non-white living in abject poverty whereby this result in constraints to enroll their children for college education (Ross & Kena, 2012, p.5). Barriers such as ethno-cultural inclinations act as an impediment to accessing college education. The underrepresentation among different cultural groups in the American society is slowing down the progress of accessing higher education. There are other groups who feel not part of the establishment, and regard accessing postsecondary education as inconsequential. At the present, the education system is not active in appealing to the underprivileged groups. As a result, access to higher education in the American society still lacks equity, as there is need for an inclusive knowledge based society. In addition, there are issues not taken serious by the system, and this includes engaging in motivation the underrepresented of the benefit of accessing college education. This group still lack necessary information regarding the importance of accessing post-secondary education. Further, public funds are not equitably distributed to support the development of higher education in America. While other states are way ahead, there are other states that still require federal support. The regions with higher minority population still need federal funding to advance higher learning. There still occurrences where postsecondary students aspiring to join college are unaware of the existence of financial aid. As a result, the disadvantaged students give up on their ambitions to pursue higher learning (College Student Alliance 2011, p.30). In perspective, the situation regarding financial barrier to accessing higher learning is real. The number of youth accessing higher education from affluent homes remains higher compared to those from disadvantaged homes. There are no grassroots structures to help youth from minority groups accessing government aid and attend the prestigious colleges in America (College Student Alliance 2011, p. 30). On another note, social mobility still lack in the fabric of the American society and social status still dictates the university to attend. The percentage of affluent students enrolling in prestigious and private colleges is higher, compared to youth from poor families. Prestigious colleges are still reluctant in providing enrolment information to the disadvantaged neighborhoods. According to Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (2013, p.8), it is still a common occurrence to record a smaller enrolment among the disadvantaged groups in prestigious institutions such as Oxbridge. The government participation in promoting higher education is still wanting and as stated by Brock (2010, p.115), not much is invested on student success. Report on enrolment still indicates a dismal performance among the Hispanics and African Americans. Improvement is need on areas such as financial aid, initiating support services for students and reviewing the education system (Brock, 2010, p.115). Scholars arguing for improvement in the higher education sector are drawn to such a position because they feel necessary resources still lacks. Despite government establishing more institutions of higher learning, the unsatisfied scholars believe focus need to shift on improving student support structures. This involves reaching out to the minority, improving student financial aid and improving the education system. Conversely, scholars supporting advancement in higher education base their argument in terms of improvement in the number of higher learning institutions, quality of education and availability of student support systems. Such support systems include accessing cheap education in state run institutions. The government has invested significantly in building more institutions across the states. This involves both two year and four year institutions of higher learning. Such a development is meant to increase student enrolment in institutions of higher learning. The school of thought supporting improvement in higher education is against the idea of evaluating improvement by different groups. They argue enrolment is influenced by an individual’s desire to pursue postsecondary education. They reiterate that, career guidance is provided in all high schools, and it is the student’s responsibility to advance their interest. Development in this sense needs assessment based on quality of education and increasing institutions of higher learning (Matthews 2012). Higher education in America is advanced; however, there are certain groups within the society who do not pursue post-secondary education based on other circumstances and not the education system’s laxity to appeal to more high school graduates. The education system has also participated wholesome in promoting girl child education. The dismal enrolment should not be directed to the education system, but ethno-cultural beliefs. However, the government participates actively in creating awareness regarding importance of educating the girl child. Despite the existence of private institutions with exceptional education resources accessed only by the affluent, the government has also engaged in availing much needed resources in state universities. Financial aid is available for all students intending to pursue post-secondary education. The choice to access the fund depends on the student’s choice. Most students from disadvantaged families prefer working first prior to enrolling to college. The students from disadvantaged families often tend to avoid the hurdle of repaying the student loan. In other words, they prefer paying for their own tuition fee. This is the reason why enrolment sometimes among the disadvantaged is lower; thus, the government or the education system should not be blamed on the poor enrolment. This is purely the student’s choice, and accessing student loan is optional, of which the government has made available (Kim 2011). On this note, there needs to be a consensus between scholars supporting the improvements and those disagreeing. It is true that concerns exist regarding college enrollment among the minority groups. However, the government has tried by establishing more institutions of higher learning closer to the minority groups. Consensus in this sense needs to focus on how appeal to minority groups influenced by cultural inclinations. Further, there is a need to come up with a mechanism where exceptional students from disadvantaged families are supported financially to access higher education. Reference List Brock, T 2010, Young adults and higher education: barriers and breakthroughs to success, The Future of Children, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 109-132. College Student Alliance-, 2011, Breaking barriers: a strategy for equal access to higher education, [Online] Available from http://www.ousa.ca/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Breaking-Barriers.pdf [Accessed on Aug. 24, 2013] Kim M. Young, 2011, Minorities in Higher Education-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. [Online] Available from http://www. diversity.ucsc.edu/resources/images/ace_report.pdf. [Accessed on Aug. 24, 2013] Matthews, D., 2012, A stronger Nation through Higher Education. [Online] Available from http://www. luminafoundation.org/publications/A_stronger_nation.pdf [Accessed on Aug. 24, 2013] Ross, T, & Kena, G 2012, Higher education: gaps in access and persistence study, National Center for Education Statistics. Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, 2013, Higher education: the fair access challenge, Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission. [Online] Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206994/FINAL_Higher_Education_-_The_Fair_Access_Challenge.pdf [Accessed on Aug. 24, 2013] Read More