Joe Biden Calls For Action On School Dropout Crisis

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden says the way to improve college graduation rates is to make high schools more rigorous academically and colleges more accessible financially, so young people seeking college degrees don't end up with so much debt.

Biden spoke at a conference to encourage leaders in education, politics, and other fields to take action to achieve the goal set by President Barack Obama for the United States to once again lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020. Biden called that goal "a necessity," adding, "This is not an aspiration."

Biden called for the governor of every state to host a college completion summit. And he announced a new grant competition to help colleges boost their graduation rates.

Comments

[3423427]

10:30 AM on 03/23/2011

That's ridiculous. You can't push more people to graduate from college simply by throwing money at the problem. With the easy availability of student loans and Pell Grands, college is very financially accessible so that's not why people aren't graduating.You have to recognize the REAL problem, which is that many people who don't have the desire and/or ability to complete college are enrolling anyway. Jobs that don't NEED a college degree for success shouldn't require one, people who can't pass entrance exams shouldn't even be admitted to community college, and the culture should change so that people who do not want to go to college aren't pressured into it anyway. Only then will you see a much higher graduation rate.

[SparkyDash]

06:54 PM on 03/22/2011

Thanks Mr. Vice President.

[Rosy]

02:22 PM on 03/22/2011

Sounds great, but we also need to be figuring out how to produce jobs for those people. A lot of college graduates are already doing jobs that don't require a degree.

[hypnotoad72]

06:41 PM on 03/22/2011

Helpdesk phone jobs that pay a grossly undervalued $12/hr require a Bachelor's Degree.  I used to be such an operator and these jobs are VERY stressful, with the operators even being scapegoated for every problem.  Especially if you consider PEBKAC as being the usual culprit, helpdesk workers endure a lot -- but in real life there is no way the job requires such a massive degree.  At all.  Especially for that puny wage.

[baxter757]

01:23 PM on 03/22/2011

I have an idea, instead of subsidizing banks, what about the idea of subsidizing colleges so education in this country could be affordable again. But of course, our youth aren't as valued as financial institutions, that would make too much sense. After all investing in our children is investing in our own future. But I guess that's thinking outside the box.

[Rosy]

02:22 PM on 03/22/2011

We already do that (see: State universities).

[hypnotoad72]

08:18 PM on 03/22/2011

The issue transcends just State universities.  Especially if we're going to be producing "competition", "innovation", and the rest.

In the real world, some people openly question the importance of education THANKS to "the new normal" so-called "economy".  While education costs are so high, even for the State universities, that wages for such work will render paying back a very long process, those with the degrees are STILL going to be far better off.

But our population, being nicked and dimed at every turn, and there's corruption - in both private and public colleges - the people who go through extra schooling, in good faith, are being ripped off.  The innocent shouldn't be put to the sword.  Nor does one create a system and then blame everyone else for living in it.  If "corporations create jobs", which is one of the current memes and it's not an untruth, if corporations aren't paying fair wages, then people need to take a risk with student loans, or not bother for education - and with the latter, you can bet you won't be given the time of day.  Anywhere.  Unless it's flipping greaseburgers.

[hypnotoad72]

08:20 PM on 03/22/2011

Addendum to my post, a few links that are relevant to graduates and everybody else.  While there are some tangents, it is important to know what our corporations are freely taking FROM taxpayers, while claiming they have no "moral imperative" to hire Americans in return for all their studying, hard work, taxpayer-funded subsidy, bailouts, and the rest:

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/01/vicious-cycle-stagnant-wages
http://www.ctj.org/html/corp0402.htm
http://www.sociology.vt.edu/course/socprobs/corporatewelfare.html
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/hiring-illegal-immigrants.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6283
http://ecosalon.com/squawk-our-tax-dollars-help-mcdonalds-hawk-chicken-in-europe/
http://www.progress.org/cwfedex.htm
http://www.ourfuture.org/corporate-welfare
http://mydd.com/story/2007/2/7/184312/5388
http://hubpages.com/hub/HowH1BVisaFRAUDiskillingAmerica
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/28/news/economy/paycuts/index.htm
http://greatdivide.typepad.com/across_the_great_divide/2009/06/walmart-workers-on-welfare-lets-look-for-the-spin.html
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3045walmart_iowa.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-to-grassley-were-still-using-h-1bs-no-moral-imperative-to-hire-americans-2009-3
http://www.computeruser.com/articles/ageism-in-it-rears-its-ugly-head.html
http://www.google.com/search?q=americans+train+replacements+H1B