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Sunday, August 4, 2019

Peter Greene: The College Chase Is Pushing Parents Over The Line

The College Chase Is Pushing Parents Over The Line

The College Chase Is Pushing Parents Over The Line
It has become one of the recurring themes in the news--the lengths that parents will go to in order to get their child into college.
The big story was the college admissions scandal that uncovered the rich and famous bribing and lying to get their children into college. The scandal touched a national nerve, as witnessed that just three days ago, Vanity Fair published yet another story about the scandal. The unveiling of the story has not so much awakened national shock as it has elicited a national recognition. Not so much "I can't believe anyone would do such a thing" as "Well, sure. Let me tell you about these parents I know..."
The idea that college may not be the best destination for everyone is not new. The Chronicle of Higher Education was asking "Are too many students going to college" a decade ago. There has been are newed push for career and technical education. But here is still steady drumbeat for students to go to college, even as college has become extraordinarily expensive. The days in which a summer minimum wage job could pay for college are long, long gone. That means that parents are concerned both about college admissions and scholarships.
Teachers have been watching the effects of this pressure for decades. High school, and even elementary teachers, can tell stories. The CONTINUE READING: The College Chase Is Pushing Parents Over The Line