I think the problem with the cost of college is the same as the cost of healthcare, which as I see it is basically just price fixing. I think the best way to deal with that is to regulate profit-margins/markups and the salaries of those who affect it. personally I would like to see student loan interest rates be altered depending on how much we need more people in a given profession, in order to maintain proportional balance.
I am not sure your interest adjustment approach is practical, especially as people change majors. Here is a blog based on an article you have to subscribe to get that illustrates a big part of the problem--the rising cost of non-instruction expenses driving tuition increases (http://mfeldstein.com/the-rising-no...llege-exemplified-by-university-of-minnesota/) and another (http://diverseeducation.com/article/54462/#)
To answer your thread question I need to know what is the true purpose of a public education? I can't find on the DoEd website a mission statement? So it's not clear to me what public education is trying to achieve? Seems to me that those people who desire more education than high school will pursue that path and those that don't...won't. Today the public education system is basically a dropout factory! 30% don't graduate and another 20% didn't learn anything...this is a 50% failure rate! If taxpayers pay for some college education, does anyone believe this is going to motivate the 50% who are currently failing to attend college? One thing I don't like is the extreme cost today for college/university studies and the student debt. But I don't have any solutions to this problem. Why not have elementary education K-5, then secondary education 6-10, then college studies 11 and beyond? Maybe taxpayers can provide college vouchers for 2 years of college study then let the student decide what to do? It troubles me that so many fail the current education system so it's not clear who will benefit from taxpayer college education...
Yes...but what would be in the best interest of the USA? Should the USA create an education system which allows all students 2 and 4 year college studies? Should the education system include vocational/trade training and certification? Should the USA allow kids not to attend school when under 18 years of age...not allowing truancy. This means kids are either in their homes or at schools. What are the long term benefits of a much smarter and higher skilled public? What should be done with students who fail to learn/graduate? Can any wholesale improvements be realized as long as the nation allows ghettos and crime which effect millions of kids? IMO the current education system, which I reluctantly refer to as a 'drop out factory', is the best that society can achieve. We simply are incapable of providing adequate funding and/or doing better. The perfect school facility will be a failure if gangs are allowed and bullets are flying through the air in the neighborhoods where kids are supposed to live, study, play, etc. And all of this is truly unfortunate for a huge portion of our cities and kids...
only truer socialist want things for free; truer capitalists don't mind paying for what they want. why not solve simple poverty in the US and engage capitalism more than socialism under our republican form of Government.
