Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Annals of Education Rhetoric part 247

Kevin Carey:

‘College for All’ is a phrase that is thrown around a lot in the media and in policy debates – sometimes by people who support it, other times by those who deride it. But there are two important things to remember in this discussion: 1) College for All doesn’t mean Harvard for all – it can include vocational and technical training and 2-year as well as 4-year degrees...

I'm well aware of this strange distinction, but it is worth pointing out its strangeness again. Virtually everyone agrees on the value of "vocational and technical training and 2-year as well as 4-year degrees." Support for policies that encourage this should be near universal. On the other hand, "college for all" taken for its plain meaning is controversial, dubious on a number of levels. So how did we end up with this terminology? Why?

"College for All" seems about as savvy as calling food stamps "Steak for Everyone."

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