COLLEGE: Great value in a degree

In the last year, 99 percent of the increase in the number of people employed in the U.S. was for individuals who had attended some college, according to the New America Foundation’s analysis of the May unemployment data recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for a person with a bachelor’s degree was 3.8 percent; for a person with a high school diploma but no college, it was almost double at 7.4 percent.

This is just one of many studies establishing that a person with some college has a significant advantage in the labor market over those with only a high school education. In fact, for those who did not attend any college, the U.S. lost 284,000 jobs over the last year. Higher education doesn’t just provide a better chance to get a job; it also provides a better paying job.

Individuals with some college typically have a median income 23 percent higher over their lifetimes; those with an associate degree, 28 percent higher; and those with a baccalaureate degree, 61 percent higher. The economic imperative of greater educational attainment is the basis of the State Board of Education’s goal to see that 60 percent of Idahoans between the ages 25 and 34 complete a postsecendary degree or certificate by the year 2020. Simply put, increased educational attainment improves the quality of life for Idahoans and drives a vibrant, diverse economy.

DON SOLTMAN, President

State Board of Education