Admissions and California Community Colleges
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1. The California legislators are wrong in their proposal to "close the door" on the admissions policy to community colleges through the application of entrance exams designed to weed out "future failures." The only argument presented---that such a change in policy will "reduce competition for seats in classrooms"---is weak when compared to the tremendous damage such a policy would do to poor students who see community college as their only door to a continuing or higher education of any sort. Ralph, in Gish Jen's Typical American, is an immigrant who comes to the United States to advance his education through an advanced degree. He eventually becomes a tenured professor (Jen 169). But what if he had not begun his higher education in China but had had to start it in the United States, and what if he had not had the money to begin at a college or university, but had had to begin at a community college? And what if he had had to take an entrance exam, had failed, and been denied the education and the full life he deserved? Colombo, et al. ask the question "Does education truly empower us, or are these empty promises?" (494). The same authors go on to present a number of essays exploring the question of empowerment at length, but all of their technical and theoretical explorations ignore the basic fact of the community college. Whether community college education empowers a student or indoctrinates him or not, it is nevertheless a major step for poor, disadvantaged students
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would not occur in a school more abundantly funded, i.e., a school in a wealthier district.
Suggestions made to overcome such disadvantages are often naive and seem to be coming from a place of complete ignorance with respect to the socioeconomic roots of most educational problems. For example, Elizabeth Shogren examines the successes of Quaker schools and suggests applying Quaker approaches to non-Quaker schools: "Decrease class size, give students more individual attention, and create an environment in which students feel secure" (Shogren 3). Is not Shogren aware that every school would make such improvements if they were economically feasible? Trying to apply one successful approach (the Quakers) to completely different situations (poor minority districts, for example) merely demonstrate the innocence or ignorance of the person making such suggestions.
3. The most important purpose of public education in the United States today should be the instilling in each individual student the sense of self-worth. An education without such an instilling of self-worth is no more than filling an empty vessel with facts in the belief that such a fact-filled vessel equals an educated human being and informed citizen. To the contrary, if
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Elizabeth Shogren, Volunteer Service, Typical American, American Dream, David Kirp, Sandy Banks, , Lord Acton, Kozol Kozol, Times January, community college, community service, sense self-worth, et al, la times, colombo et al, poor minority, colombo et, january 5 1992, quotation ignores, american dream, essence american, times january 5, community college student, la times january,
Approximate Word count = 1635
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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