But there's a movement afoot to discourage teens from aspiring to higher education. Stoked by economists and pundits tapping into the anti-intellectualism of our political culture, this movement says simply that college doesn't pay.
Proponents of this view note that college costs have skyrocketed, and they point to nationwide figures showing that a degree doesn't offer the salary premium it once did. In this "jobless recovery," families simply can't afford it.
Maxed out on debt, and un- or underemployed, and unable to make it with student loans that cover just a fraction of expenses, families see this key part of the American Dream slipping away - and many scholars and commentators seem to think that's just fine, a rational adjustment of both our economy and young people's expectations.
Some elite colleges have tried to create a financial aid structure that will allow any qualified student to attend. But look in their classrooms, and you'll find mostly children of well-off parents, plus a couple of exceptionally talented children from lower-income backgrounds.
As a college teacher, I'm grateful these students get the opportunity, but they're the lucky few. And colleges are facing their own budget shortfalls and shrunken endowments, so a level playing field for admissions remains a dream.
It's a crisis, and no one knows what to do. Should we push for major increases in government loans? Create policies to ease students' transition from affordable community and vocational colleges to four-year universities? Make college tuition tax-deductible?
All worthy ideas, but they're not getting much play. Instead we have the spectacle of college-educated experts claiming college is unnecessary and overrated. Even if you could afford it, they say, the postgraduation jobs aren't out there: most of the high-growth job categories over the next decade will be service jobs that don't require degrees.
