Is college for everyone?

I want to weigh in on this age-old debate. I've been at this game of education for a long time now.  I know the answer.

No, college is not for everyone.

Yes, the responsibility to prepare everyone for college belongs to every teacher.

Everyone will not go to college, but it will often surprise you who does and who doesn't. I have watched valedictorians drop out of college. I have watched high school dropouts change their mind, earn a GED, and go on to earn a PhD.

The bottom line: an educator's responsibility is to make sure that every high school graduate has the opportunity to go to college whether they choose to go immediately after graduation, wait a year, or wait 20 years. Children have been known to graduate with their grandparents, you know. Our job is not to determine who will go but to make sure that everyone has that choice.

Am I in favor of arts education? Of course!

Am I in favor of vocational education? Of course!

Am I in favor of advanced placement and honors? Of course!

Am I in favor of accelerated learning? Of course!

Am I in favor of remediation? Absolutely not. It doesn't work. It never has. It never will. It is based on the faulty premise that if I tell you what you're bad at, you'll get better. In reality, when I exploit your weaknesses, you enter a downward spiral. When I, instead, celebrate your strengths, you gain the self-esteem power to compensate for your weaknesses.

Does this work? You bet! Using the strategies of accelerated learning, common core curriculum, multiple intelligences, and mentoring, Lockett Learning Systems has helped schools graduate thousands of high-risk students who can now choose whether or not they enroll in higher education.

Is college for everyone? No.

Does the right to choose college belong to everyone? Absolutely.

Does the responsibility to make this happen belong to every educator, parent, and student working in partnership?  Yes.

Need our help?  Visit http://www.LockettLearningSystems.com.