Sun editorial:

A worthy initiative

UNLV’s Smatresk offers proposal to explore reasons behind the need for remedial education

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 | 2:08 a.m.

College-bound students who graduate from high school in this state should have sufficient English and math skills to succeed at the university level from Day One.

The reality, as reported Sunday by Emily Richmond in the Las Vegas Sun, is quite different. A startling percentage of those graduates — more than one-third — required remedial classes in English and math after enrolling last year in the state’s colleges and universities.

That is why we support a proposed initiative by UNLV President Neal Smatresk to find out why so many freshmen are entering the university ill-prepared for the course work that awaits them. Because the Clark County School District produces 80 percent of UNLV’s undergraduate students, we also find it reassuring that district Superintendent Walt Rulffes supports the initiative.

Exploring the reasons why so many high school graduates require remedial courses is long overdue. This is no simple task because there are so many issues at stake, including curriculum, testing, parental involvement, teacher experience, class sizes and classroom resources.

Smatresk was right when he told the Sun: “If we come up with the right prescription to fill those critical skills gaps, then I think we can give our students an edge.”

To accomplish that goal, he proposed that undergraduate students pay a $1-per-credit-hour surcharge, which would raise $500,000 a year for student academic assessments and tutoring as well as for remedial classes.

It is imperative, though, that students have proper English and math tools before they are handed their high school diplomas. That way, UNLV and Nevada’s other institutions of higher education can focus on the advanced course work that will help develop the state’s future leaders.

Reducing and eventually eliminating remedial education at the collegiate level is a winning proposition for everyone involved. Smatresk, who plans to seek Board of Regents approval of his plan in December, deserves its full support.

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By SgtRock

Oct. 21, 2009

6:23 a.m.

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A significant number of "Honor Roll" students have to take remedial classes, too.

There is only one thing and only one thing that could save the educational system in this state and in the nation and that is vouchers.

But that is never going to happen because the education money machine, especially unions, will never give up its grip on the cash.

So our education system will continue its slide downward as it has been doing since the 1960's. That is despite the large dump of money that we have put into schools. Since the 1980's, the spending per student in the USA using inflation adjusted dollars has increased 138%.

I bet money that if we randomly got 1,000 high school teachers to take 5th grade's exams from the 1960's in English, Math, science and history that the majority of those teachers would fail most of those exams.

This is how I valued today's degrees.

A high school degree is worth almost nothing.

A college degree is like a 1960's 6th grade level.

A master degree is like a 1960's 8th grade level.

I think that I am being very generous with that valuation.
By NLV-Indep13

Oct. 21, 2009

9:25 a.m.

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Disagree. An additional tuition cost that contributes nothing. The problem is known.

K-12 standards are too low, especially in math, science & languages; those parents who want change are powerless compared to the educational bureacracy that defends the status quo; and no one is being held accountable for their performance (or lack thereof).

A voucher system is the only way to significantly improve things. It'd empower parents to seek out and find schools that perform; it'd increase competition, ultimately holding the "educational industry" accountable for its performance; and by opening it up to charter/private schools, it'd allow for some "outside the bureaucratic box" approaches that could revolutionize the way our society teaches our young.

A voucher program might also help get the Feds & States out of what is a local responsibility. Take all the taxes they collect and simply put it into a voucher per student, with an annual national standardized test (such as the SAT or Iowa Basic) to identify potential problem schools for further analysis.
By StanG

Oct. 22, 2009

12:04 a.m.

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If it's capitalism you're in favor of for health care, including kids health care, then why not for education? Private, for profit schools charge you for schooling and if you can't afford it, well, there's always the Public Option. Vouchers would be Socialism.