What are K-12 students actually learning in school? According to an article in the New York Times, 65% of community college students nationwide need remedial education in reading, writing or math. With fees ranging up to $910 per class, students are paying a lot of money - and earning no college credit - for education that should have got in middle and high school. No wonder only 35% of community college students nationwide graduate in six years.
According to the article, many students are surprised to find out they need remedial classes. Math is the subject where students most frequently lack skills. Test your own college-level math skills with four basic math problems offered through ACT, a nonprofit organization that engages in educational and workforce assessments, certifications and research.
With K-12 schools failing to give students the skills they need to succeed in community colleges, could critical digital literacy help fill the knowledge gap? Maybe schools should help students learn to teach themselves, through connecting them to some of the many online math resources. That way, students could teach themselves when they need to, as often as they need to. After all, an associate degree can mean the difference beween an $85,000 nursing job and a minimum-wage service job, as a community college president pointed out.
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