HIGHER ED: Five burning questions

University presidents just released a favorite finger pointing game—the number of remedial courses they have to offer. Love to trash K-12. And parents. Everyone is a failure.

Enough is enough, Idaho! The State Board of Education is constitutionally charged with supervising education. The SBOE needs to require our university presidents to answer some questions and then the SBOE needs to make some decisions about this “pox” on higher education.

1. WHO ARE THESE STUDENTS? How many are actually enrolled? Are they Idaho graduates? Foreign students? Which Idaho districts are graduating the unprepared? Perhaps these students are coming from the HOME SCHOOL SYSTEM. It enrolls over 10,000 students, without close scrutiny. Should home schools face some levels of performance accountability?

2. ASSESSMENT: What tests determine remediation? Are these tests aligned to k-12 standards? Are they normed?

3. COST BENEFIT: What’s in it for universities to offer remediation? Why offer these courses? What’s the cost/benefit for them? Who is being hired by the university system to teach remedial classes? What are their credentials?

4. MISSION: Should the cost for such courses be deducted from university budgets and given to K-12 schools to improve learning in the senior year? Given to low performing districts? If the problem is at the K-12 level, the costs should be hand-delivered to superintendents right now!

5. ADMISSION PROCEDURES: If a student requires remediation, why admit? Are admission procedures flawed? Are universities guilty of “over enrolling” to pad student count numbers?

Until these questions are answered, university presidents should shut up.

RUSSELL JOKI

Meridian