NYT's Room for Debate Looks at the Results of Higher Education

George Leef


In today's New York Times Room for Debate feature, the topic is how much college students learn. It was prompted by the furor over the recent book Academically Adrift in which the authors conclude that many students learn little or nothing. I'm one of six contributors, but there is remarkably little debate here. Apparently the editors at the Times could not find anyone willing to argue that the authors are mistaken and that college students are actually learning a great deal. It's often said that the U.S. is such a wealthy nation because we "invest" so much in the education of our citizens, but the truth is actually the other way around. Only a very wealthy nation could possibly afford to have an educational system that costs so much and delivers so little as ours.

  • Share

Most Commented

September 6, 2024

1.

Professor Alleges "Widespread" Discriminatory Hiring Coverup at University of Washington

Audio acquired by the National Association of Scholars describes allegations of coverup race-based hiring coverup at the University of Washington...

October 29, 2024

2.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

September 25, 2024

3.

NAS Statement on University of Pennsylvania Sanction of Amy Wax

The National Association of Scholars is outraged—but not surprised—by Penn's decision to penalize Wax for exercising her academic freedom. ...

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....