The importance of education and why the next governor should focus on this instead of gambling

Concerning education, the economy, and the workforce in this state, there is much to write about. I've save my comments on the fiscal problems potentially facing the state in 2008 for another day. For now, I will respond to a "letter to the editor" I saw a little while back that is a good example of misinformation.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the letter, and obviously thanks to the Delaware State News's questionable new policy concerning their online content, I can't find it online either. Regardless, the gist of the letter said that the DOE may be too focused on getting kids to college when a lot of them only are there to play sports, aren't planning on going to college, and the educational standards may render otherwise non-academically gifted students ineligible, and consequently, they have no reason to go to school. The letter may have said something about school choice also, but I've already expressed why the education system should be unified across the state, so I'm not going to repeat my reasons here.

The problem I have with this letter (other than my general concern that his may not be a minority viewpoint) is that it overlooks the whole policy behind education in the first place. Now, I was a multi-sport high school athlete here in Delaware who had more than my fair share of conference and state glory, so I can certainly appreciate the point he makes. And I certainly am friends with people who were also athletes in high school and went onto college, and I am friends with people who did not. The ones who went on to get a college degree, in some respects, have no better jobs than some that did not. The difference is that their options are much greater.

Take, for example, a police officer. It used to be that you could be a cop right out of high school. Not so much anymore. Most town and state police require some sort of post-high school education (and most now require a 4-year college degree). Granted (and I'm being a little stereotypical here), it probably doesn't matter what type of degree you have; it's more of a door opener than anything else. The real reason why more and more jobs require a college degree is to simply help weed out the applicant pool. And realistically, any salaried job (and even some hourly jobs) is going to want you to have gone to college.

The statistics that a person with a high school degree will make more money over their lifetime is not a joke. It comes with the cost of debt, but so what. Whether you learn anything useful in college doesn't equate to half of what you learn just by being there and listening, absorbing other people's thoughts and just general exposure to a world beyond high school fiefdom.

The point to all of this isn't to rip into this guy for being mad that his kid probably didn't make the cut for a marking period or semester. And obviously, many of the high school students in this area have to work part-time jobs which must be balanced with the school load, and probably have a negative correlation with grades to some degree. The trick is to balance it all out, and just make a goal that once you go to college, you'll just borrow the money to survive. I submit that there is more money in terms of loans and scholarships out there than most people think. This is the job of the guidance counselors in these high schools to become more educated about that aspect of college and inform their students.

So that this entry doesn't go in any more different directions, I'll simply end it here and reiterate my plea for the next governor to sweettalk another MBNA-type organization to come to our state and set up shop. This way those with a college education aren't further tempted to just stay in their college town, or go to a big city to find a job that pays just as much but with a much higher cost of living. And if they can center down here (Kent County) (and the state comes up with some way of getting to the Philadelphia airport a little faster than 95), there may be some more added benefits.

The bottom line is that all of us, including the gentlemen who pled for lower educational standards, to start thinking about ways to improve this state. His point regarding education, however, is incorrect. This isn't the seventies (or the sixties or the fifties) anymore. If you can't finish high school for whatever reason, you're more likely to be an Uncle Rico type person than a real contributor to the economy. Get over it and graduate and quit assuming that high school is the be all end all. Times are changing, and if we don't get with it, the potential decrease in slot and gambling revenue is going to be the least of our state's problems.