Commercial Appeal October 16, 2006

HEADLINE: 'Every Day, Every Child College Bound'

By George Lord
Special to the Commercial Appeal


As it becomes increasingly clear that more education will be necessary for success in the future, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education issued its annual report and ranked the United States seventh worldwide in the proportion of students who complete college. For this reason alone, Supt. Carol Johnson should be applauded for her mantra for Memphis City Schools -- "Every Day, Every Child College Bound."

In support of this goal, last year every 10th-grade student in the district took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an exam designed as a warm-up for the SAT. As parents of college-bound students know, the SAT and the ACT are exams that universities use in admissions and scholarship decisions. That's why early preparation of students for these exams is a step toward the education that will contribute to their future success.

The move to make the SAT or ACT exams the test for every student is taking place all over the country. Five states have already taken steps in this direction, and a dozen others are seriously examining the option. ACT reports indicate that in Colorado and Illinois, preparation for college has improved while the participation rate has gone up. These states are also seeing increases in college enrollment by as much as 14 percent.

Why is this important for us? First, the U.S. population is aging, and there will be a shortage of qualified workers in the not-too-distant future. Consider these predictions:

A shortage of 8 million workers by 2010.

By 2014, job openings for 9 million more degree holders than will be available.

By 2010, 42 percent of all jobs will require education beyond high school.

Already, eight of the 10 fastest-growing jobs require postsecondary education. And of the 30 fastest-growing occupations, 70 percent require training beyond high school.

Those with more education and skills will continue to earn more. In 2000, male and female college graduates earned 60 and 95 percent more, respectively, than students who had completed only high school or a General Education Development certificate (GED). High school dropouts earned about 30 percent less than those who had a high school diploma or GED. Postsecondary degrees and certificates are increasingly needed to increase one's chances for success.

Despite all that the future portends, the educational attainment of U.S. workers is not growing.

Over the past decade, between 347,000 and 544,000 students dropped out of school each year.

In 2000, 3.8 million 16- to 24-year-olds were not enrolled in school and had not completed high school.

32 percent of high school graduates are well prepared for college, but only 21 percent of high school students go on to receive a bachelor's degree.

Projections are that growth in college degrees granted will slow even further.

Currently 39 percent of the work force is in low-level jobs. These jobs are disappearing, meaning those workers will need additional education to get the skilled jobs that will make up an increasing share of jobs overall.

Finally, we must consider that educational attainment varies significantly by race and ethnicity and the population is getting more diverse. By 2050, the work force will be increasingly made up of minorities, who traditionally have not had the education needed to obtain and succeed in highly skilled jobs. African-Americans and Hispanics could fall increasingly behind economically.

The good news is that college enrollment has been going up, with a 21 percent overall increase in the past decade.

Greater increases have been recorded for minorities. Among 18- to 24-year-old African-Americans, college enrollment has increased 66 percent from 1970 to 2003. And the number of minorities enrolled in college has doubled between 1976 and 2004.

As we hope to continue these trends, the ACT or SAT exams are important to the future of our students' success and the needs of our community; they are the first step in being college-bound.

States are moving to ACT testing because the tests are designed to match what state standards expect students to learn. For this reason there is considerable discussion nationwide about making the ACT or SAT part of the accountability system for schools and districts under the No Child Left Behind legislation. The senior education analyst for the governor of Colorado notes that as student performance improves on this test, it is hoped that more students will exclaim, "Hey, I did well on this. Maybe college is for me after all." In Memphis, Johnson's actions concerning these exams and the importance of additional education are positive steps we should all support.

Most of all, it is clear and inarguable that we must work to ensure that all students get the quality education they need to function well as citizens and workers in the new economy.

George Lord is director of research, assessment and program development at Partners In Public Education (PIPE).