"...Overall, 31.8 percent of Colorado graduates tested below college level and had to enroll in remedial courses that don't count toward a degree, up from 28.6 percent the year before."

and

"...Garcia said one goal is to create a process for four-year institutions to accept students who need remedial education..."

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19911350

That last is what kills me. Talk about lowering standards.

The effect over time would have to be that a degree is worth less and less.  It's like a hs diploma. Just because you have one does not mean you can read.

The coddling of young people is just stunning to me.  You're young for Godsakes. You're supposed to have energy to get your life in gear.  I can't believe we are considering keeping young adults in college on the tit like this.

I can't see anyway a society can have standards this low and maintain itself.  We're turning into a nation of slaves and it just stuns me to my core.

This is very sad to me.  I imagine that the problem starts wayyyyy before high school.  I know a lot of people have to work harder than ever now and have little time but I think parents really need to make it a priority to make sure their children are getting the education they need. I think it is parents' responsibility to make sure their kid is getting educated, they need to be in charge of it, holding the school accountable if need be.   Of course, if the parents themselves are lacking education it probably only perpetuates the cycle.  Very sad state of affairs.

If I was hiring someone and they said they had a  HS diploma, I would not under any circumstances assume that they could read. I mean this. I would assume that they could read *some*.

If you are a young person, best to class yourself up. Go out of your way to be polite and well-spoken so you can be identified as someone who's on deck when it comes to handling themselves and their life.

The illiterate people I taught (minus the immigrants) at the literacy center all had high school diplomas.

I've been in a state university in my late teens/early 20's and again my late 20's/early 30's. It was bad when I first came to college, but it is much, much worse now. Many of the lower division college classes I took weren't even up to the rigor of my high school requirements. Many of the upper division classes weren't any better with a few notable exceptions that kicked my ass (and I took them as electives because I wanted to learn the material from good instructors, not because they were required). 

Right now I have a few work study kids that work in our office and I am dumbfounded every time I think about it as to how they actually got into college. But hey, it's more money for the university! Who cares if they actually learn or gain skills? Basic world knowledge? Not a clue. Just a blank stare. 

I happened to overhear some guy talking during lunch yesterday about how college really is there to get you into debt and make a slave out of you and with the way things have gone I had to agree with the guy. There are more people than ever in college that simply do not belong there. 

Education policy in this country is crazy. CRAZY.