The debate about college access is often boiled down to an either-or question: Is college right for everyone, or should some students go straight into employment instead? When that reductionism happens, “four-year" college is the usual assumed meaning.
Margaret Spellings (UNC system president) puts a fine point on a more helpful “both-and” approach that emphasizes a different definition. As she points out, a post-secondary degree isn’t only a symbol of learning. In today’s economy, it also represents something actually useful, as long as our definitions of inclusion and education are broad enough. As she says, “For millions of others — especially those attending the community colleges and less-selective public institutions that serve the vast majority of American students — college is the place that hones skills and knowledge, builds professional networks, and clarifies life goals. It’s the place where you learn to devote close attention to a hard task, to work alongside others on complex problems, to stick with a long-range challenge. Those 'signaled' virtues are well-earned.”
Click here for full article.