Discuss the issues faced by postsecondary educational institutions.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Public postsecondary institutions often feel embattled by many constituencies and external pressures. Many colleges and universities are grappling with affirmative action issues, grade inflation and cheating, low graduation rates, and rising student loan debt.In higher education, affirmative action refers to admission policies that provide equal access for groups-particularly women and minorities-that have been historically excluded or underrepresented. Using race and ethnicity in college admission decisions has been, and continues to be, a hotly debated topic.Grade inflation is widespread across all education levels, and some children start cheating on tests as early as the third grade. The consequences of grade inflation and cheating in postsecondary education are more serious, however, because someone who cheated her or his way through college or graduate school may be a dentist, lawyer, doctor, or tax accountant.The United States has one of the lowest college graduation rates in the developed world. Social class and family relationships affect college completion.Student loan debt, which has tripled since 2004 to more than $1.4 trillion, is now second only to mortgage debt. The rising student loan debt depends on factors like an institution's endowment, in-state and out-of-state tuition prices, whether the college is public or private, and the growing number and costs of full-time administrators (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2014).