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Learning
& Education
. How
Are Vermont's High School Students Doing? For Vermont
students, the opportunity exists ... Chance for College by Age 19 is a
simple calculation that multiples a state's graduation rate by its college
continuation rate. The result gives some indication of postsecondary
educational opportunity. As you can see from the table below, for 1998 Vermont ranked 24th among all states on this measure of postsecondary education opportunity, with a Chance for College by Age 19 rate of 40.3%. ... Unfortunately, that is down from Vermont's 1992 ranking at 12th place [45.9%]. But even though it is also below the 1986 19th place posting, the 32.6% from that year is actually below Vermont's 1998 rate. .
What this measure tells us is fairly straightforward: The higher the graduation rate for high school seniors and the higher the rate for continuation on to college, the higher the rate of postsecondary opportunity. For Vermont, with a solid 6th place finish in 1998 for the graduation rate and a correspondingly poor 42nd place finish for continuation on to college, Vermont's overall opportunity rate averages out near the mid-point. However, precisely because Vermont has mad such a relatively strong showing with regard to graduation rates, the state itself has the opportunity to strengthen the overall opportunity for postsecondary education for its students ... for the simple reason that they are, in fact, and unlike some other states, graduating from high school at a significantly higher rate. Opportunity
for those least able to afford it ... But Vermont's 1998 showing placed it nearly 20 points above its 1995 rate [31.4%] -- when it ranked 11th -- and more than 30 points above its 1992 rate of 17.9%, when it ranked only 26th and was more than 2 points below the national average. Despite those numbers, for the entire period from 1992 to 1998, Vermont ranked 7th overall in postsecondary opportunity for students from low income households [35.3%]. ...
Of course, opportunity for students from low income households begs the question of whether, in fact, students from households not considered low income can actually afford an education in one of Vermont's public 4-year colleges or the University. At least a couple of things contribute to that problem. Postsecondary
opportunity in Vermont ... Given these facts, at least a few questions emerge:
There may be at least some inklings, if not answers. ... Persistence on to college in the Mortenson Research data means any college ... anywhere. ... The fact is, Vermont is somewhat notorious in this regard. For example, back in 1996, when the State College system and the legislature had once again been engaged in one of their typical struggles over appropriations, the Mortenson team had suggested that Vermont's poor showing on college continuation might be the “apparent funding problems with high tuition/modest financial aid.” Indeed, there is little question that Vermont's public postsecondary institutions are over-priced and under-funded. And, taken together, this situation has exacerbated a series of problems that only seem to worsen with time. In its annual Report Card, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education awarded its letter grades to the states in each of X categories -- Preparation, Participation, Affordability, Completion, and Benefits. We took the grades on each of these criteria to come up with a Grade Point Average on a 4.0 scale for each of the states. Vermont posted a 2.34 [C+] overall, placing it 24th of the 50 states. With its high graduation rate, Vermont scored an A on Completion. It also scored reasonably well for Preparation and Benefits -- with a B- in each. However, Vermont was below a C average for Participation [C-], and scored lowest of all on Affordability with a dismal D-. Vermont has one of the highest rates for in-state tuition at both the State Colleges and the University. It also, one would hope not proudly, boasts one of the lowest pay rates for faculty in a state college system. Finally, out-of-state student enrollments in the State's public colleges and the University compete significantly with spaces for Vermont residents Each of these factors sets up a somewhat vicious cycle when it comes to State support for public higher education. The legislature is wont to extend the kind of funding needed to lower tuition, often citing the high rate out out-of-state enrollments. The colleges cite the need for increased funding before they are able to bring tuition costs down. ... And so the story goes. But meanwhile, Vermont's high school grads are being underserved by the very institutions that are supposed to provide them with postsecondary opportunities. Next month, then, we'll shift our focus from the students -- their high school grad rates and college continuation rates -- to take a closer look at the State, the State College system and the University, and how they compare with the rest of the country in Vermont: The State of Higher Education. In the meanwhile, if you would like to review some of the current material on State standards for education, check out this month's Links to Learning & Education On-Line. ... ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for our Learning & Education section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at learn@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.] ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* . |
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