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In the Know
High Marks for Higher Education
The American public gives post-secondary
education high scores for the quality of its academic programs but raises
concerns about accessibility and rising tuition costs.
Education continues to be a national priority
for the American public, according to a recent poll commissioned by the
Educational Testing Service and conducted by Democratic pollster Peter
Hart and Republican pollster Robert Teeter.
A sizable majority of those polled said
higher education is a worthwhile pursuit, but the nation should provide
more assistance to help students cope with rising tuition costs and colleges
and universities should increase accessibility for students from all
backgrounds.
The good news for higher education is
that 72 percent of survey respondents feel that the American higher education
system works well or needs only minor reforms, and 57 percent feel that
the system is doing an adequate or more than adequate job at graduating
students who are sufficiently prepared to succeed in the workforce.
On the downside, 52 percent feel that
the nation’s education system does not provide sufficient opportunities
to students from all backgrounds who want an opportunity to go to a college
or university. These respondents said that rising costs were the biggest
problem facing higher education. Their biggest complaint: the ever-increasing
cost of higher education. More than half (51 percent) feel that the education
system is not providing enough financial help to students going to college,
and 66 percent of respondents are willing to pay more taxes to increase
financial support for college students. Nearly everyone—96 percent
of those surveyed—said a college education is a good investment.
There is some disagreement on whether
colleges and universities need to be more accountable—45 percent
said that colleges and universities should be held more accountable,
while 46 percent said they are already held accountable enough.
Those surveyed showed strong support
for a continuing, if not expanded, role for the federal government in
higher education. Seventy-four percent of respondents favor the federal
government placing limits on college tuition to keep increases in line
with inflation. Seventy-three percent prefer direct financial assistance
to students from the federal government over aid to institutions, and
58 percent support financial assistance based on need rather than financial
assistance based on achievement.
More on the survey can be found online
at www.ets.org/aboutets/americaspeaks/survey2003.html.
| From The
Lectern |
In order
to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of
the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership
be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every
race and ethnicity. All members of our heterogeneous society
must have confidence in the openness and integrity of the educational
institutions that provide this training. As we have recognized,
law schools “cannot be effective in isolation from the
individuals and institutions with which the law interacts.” (See
Sweatt v. Painter supra, at 634). Access to legal education
(and thus the legal profession) must be inclusive of talented
and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity, so that
all members of our heterogeneous society may participate in
the educational institutions that provide the training and
education necessary to succeed in America.
—Sandra
Day O’Connor, Grutter v. Bollinger June 23, 2003
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