|
| List Price: | $14.95 |
| Amazon Price: | $10.17 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
| You Save: | $4.78 (32%) |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $9.49 |
| Availablitiy: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
 |
|
Product Description
Two decades ago A Nation at Risk sounded a national alarm on K-12 education. Now, an equally urgent alarm is being sounded for higher education in America. In Declining by Degrees, leading authors and educators such as Tom Wolfe, Jim Fallows, and Jay Mathews provide us with a valuable understanding of the serious issues facing colleges today, such as budget cuts, grade inflation, questionable recruitment strategies, and a major focus on Big Time Sports. Tied to the PBS documentary of the same name, Declining by Degrees creates a national discussion about the future of higher education and what we can do about it.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Average Customer Review:
1 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
 Higher Education has NOT Declined in Quality, 2007-06-29
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Several people in my family, including me, have college degrees. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005 from an average state university. In addition, I was awarded an associate's degree in 2002 from a school that everyone says is the easiest junior college. Also, my father received his bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA around the year 1966. UCLA did not have the level of prestige that it has today, but it was still a well respected university. Likewise, my mother completed her first year of college at UCLA and then transferred to Boston University to complete the rest of her bachelor's degree. She received her degree in sociology around the year 1968.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This book claims that higher education in America has declined in standards and quality over the past 25 years. However, based on what my parents have told me, I seriously doubt it. After they described their experiences, I have learned that the quality of higher education today is just as good if not better than it was 40 years ago.
First, higher education critics complain that the college students today receive less work compared to forty years ago, but my father telling me about his college years has made me believe otherwise. Today one can usually get by without doing any of the assigned readings, because usually the exams are mainly based on the class lectures. However, this was also true when my father went to UCLA. Furthermore, I had about the same amount of reading that he had even at the junior college. We both had about 30 pages of reading per week in each course.
Not only have I not received any less work than my parents, they told me that throughout my college career, I actually received more work than they did. At the junior college alone, I was given more writing assignments than they were. While I attended this junior college, I had a term paper in almost every class (excluding math courses) even though my father had a total of only about 3 papers throughout his entire time as an undergraduate. This is despite everyone saying that this school is easier than all the other junior colleges. In addition, at the four year university, I was required to do a major research project at the end of my senior year (called the senior thesis). I was supposed to write a 20 - 30 page paper on my research for this project. My father never had to do any project like that.
In addition to describing their college education, my father has concluded based on his experience teaching law school for the past 30 years that today's college graduates are just as educated as they were yesterday. During that period, he taught only first year students, all of whom had bachelor's degrees, and he has not noticed any change in the quality of his students over the years. This is despite the fact that college is supposed to prepare one for law school by teaching one how to think. For example, an undergraduate education is supposed to develop ones own critical thinking skills, analytical skills, etc. These skills are needed to succeed in law school. Given this and that he taught only first year students, if undergraduate education has really declined, my father would have noticed it. He has not.
Overall, this book does not seem to match up to reality. I have learned by talking to my mother and father that the quality of higher education in America today is at least as good as it was yesterday. Therefore, I know that the entire premise of this book is false. Don't waste your money buying it.
7 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
 Responding to "Declining", 2006-02-19
Education is a lot of work, lifelong to boot, and how many are up to it? It's true of our culture - but would it be any different at another time? - that the acquisitive instinct competes directly with many of the goals and ideals of the academy. Luckily in my case, parents did not expect much from me in terms of academic performance or which school to attend; virtually all expectation was self-generated. My bias is to emphasize rigorous standards at the secondary level, especially in public schools, if we want to have a successful, informed, and free people. It's decent read.
5 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Higher Education At Risk, 2005-09-19
Excellent look at one of America's major problems for our future success on the world stage.
19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
 Declining by Degrees, 2005-08-27
Having seen parts of the PBS presentation by the same name, I read Declining by Degrees with a clear idea of its content. This indictment of academia definitely resonated with me because I have been teaching college since the late 70's. The criticisms of current academic practice in this text were credible, clear and well written. I hope Declining by Degrees will be a wake up call for post-secondary education. Time will tell.
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
 Good read, 2005-06-08
This appears to be another book by educators to educators; a lot of preaching to the choir. It is long on analysis and commentary, but short on real solutions. Few would argue against the value of a liberal arts education, but who can afford upwards of $100,000 and four years' lost wages for a degree that does not provide a clear path toward a career? How will you attract the best and brightest to a campus bungalow, a stipend and a key to the faculty lounge? Most will agree that the ranking and selection process is broken, but what can college and university presidents do to fix it? We feel the stranglehold that college sports have on campuses, but it simply mirrors the revered place sports hold in the larger society.
For anyone familiar with higher education, there is much to agree with in this book, but little new information. All in all it is well written and a good read, especially the latter chapters.
Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.
|
Store Categories
|