AMERICAN EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES AND STRUGGLES
1. America's public schools are founded on the assumption that a quality education ought to be available to anyone who wants one regardless of cost. To this end, the community college system of California has provided an effective alternative to the more academically rigorous and more costly University of California and California State University systems. Community colleges serve California's students by offering undergraduate coursework at a substantially lower tuition, while offering numerous courses in preparatory math and English. These two services give students an opportunity to experiment freely in the process of discovering a major while at the same time giving them an opportunity to strengthen their basic academic skills before progressing to more advanced work.
The desire for all to have the opportunity to be educated is deeply rooted in America's history. Horace Mann perceived that education is "the great equalizer of the conditions of men" (Colombo 17) and that anyone could prosper in a public school. Scholar and author Richard Rodriguez viewed his education as a process that separated him from a disadvantaged background (Rodriguez 3), and groups that have suffered from civil inequalities, such as women, need a system that supports and encourages independent thinking (Clinchy 119).
However, as with all public endeavors, the goals and ideals of education are limited by the amount of money to support them. California's taxpayers are more and more reluctant to support a system that has an "open-door" policy. This was particularly evident when Proposition 187 passed, an event that occurred in part because Californians did not wish their taxes to be spent educating non-residents.
The suggestion that admission to community colleges be limited by grade point averages or the passing of an entrance exam is a short-sighted method of dealing with the problem. Students who...