Reference Materials

Here are few reference materials showing the current crisis in our higher education.

http://www.ourcivilisation.com/dumb/dumb2.htm

This is a summary of a National Association of Scholars report investigating coursework at 50 of “America’s Best Colleges” (according to U.S. News & World Report). The data exposes reduction in required coursework, prerequisites for classes, classroom hours, and more. This article demonstrates that the total number of classes offered has skyrocketed with worthless, politically correct , and outright immoral offerings in addition to many remedial classes offered for those who didn’t learn what they should have during high school.

http://www.nas.org/polReports.cfm?Doc_Id=85

The results of a National Association of Scholars (NAS)/Zogby poll. This poll compares todays college students with high school graduates of the 1950's.

http://www.nas.org/polReports.cfm?Doc_Id=86

The results of a (NAS)/Zogby poll. This poll asks college students their opinion on ethics and morality.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2006/01/12/dumbing_down_a_college_education/

This article addresses the illiteracy epidemic on college campuses, expounding on the statistic that "only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it."

http://mtprof.msun.edu/Spr1997/TROUT-ST.html

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE DOES INCLUDE ONE OCCURRENCE OF PROFANITY

The author of this article addresses such issues as:

- Disengaged and disinterested students

- The dumbing down of academics in universities

-Stripping tough classes of "boring stuff" in an effort to create a fun experience

As well as some solutions to the problem, including:

-Encouraging excellence at every academic level

-Raising standards

-Teaching hard work, not self-esteem

-Teaching the problem of student anti-intellectualism

-Spreading the word

-Teaching authoritatively (more concerned with long-term development than short-term happiness)

-save our standards committees.

http://books.google.com/books?id=A4sfiztxhIoC&source=gbs_navlinks_s

The link above directs you to a book entitled, Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education. A significant portion of the book is viewable at the link above.

NOTE: I HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY, ONLY EXCERPTS. I URGE MY READERS TO USE DISCERNMENT.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.540/pub_detail.asp

This article highlights how the pressure to fill seats and to insure political correctness is driving consideration of lower entrance requirements at universities.

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4047

Using statistics from practical surveys, this article shows that many college grads are now only as smart as yesterday's high school seniors.