HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF A RACKET MEANT TO SERVE THE RULING CLASS. Ryan Stowers is helping us to think out way out of the Education Matrix. “How Post-Secondary Education Is Squandering Human Potential.”
There is a limitlessness to human potential — the capacity of all to discover, develop and deploy their unique aptitudes and gifts so they can benefit themselves and others. Post-secondary education can help unlock this potential, but far too many people aren’t having this experience. This can be avoided, but it requires us to fundamentally rethink how we approach education beyond high school, both public and private, and its connectivity to careers that provide fulfillment and purpose. In short, we need a shift in mental models from the kind of top-down thinking that produced such measures of “success” as seat time, test scores and credit hours to a focus on treating every learner as an individual with distinct needs and potential. The former approach loses sight of what matters most — passions and aptitudes that are unique to each individual.
To address this inexhaustible variation, we need a multitude of adaptable approaches to learning that empowers all so they can flourish. While this challenge is recognized in some educational and philanthropic circles, action currently lags far behind the public’s growing expectations.
Rather than conform, the public is eager to see transformation. In a recent survey by our organization, 61 percent of respondents said universities should do a better job of changing to meet the needs of students, while just 16 percent felt that students needed to do a better job of adjusting to the “tried and tested model” of a traditional four-year college. What’s more, of those seeking to acquire new skills, 72 percent expressed a preference for an option other than a four-year college or university. Most Americans also have a favorable opinion of the kind of career and technical education traditionally offered by their local community colleges and vocational schools.
While many of the leaders atop the oft-cited university rankings continue to focus on exclusivity rather than transformation, institutions like Western Governors University and Arizona State University have risen to the challenge and opened new pathways to millions of students. They are being joined by a growing constellation of providers who recognize that Americans are increasingly open to new credentials. The SkillUp Coalition, for example, is working with Per Scholas, Climb Hire and Coursera to support displaced workers with the tools and resources to get upskilled and hired for high-paying, in-demand jobs. Achieve Partners is working with leading employers to hire apprentices who transition to in-demand careers. And the Mike Rowe Works Foundation is challenging the status quo by working to remove the stigma associated with learners eager to pursue careers in the skilled trades.
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