Before World War II only fifteen percent of all high school students went to college due to their social class (Hanford par.1). The people attending higher education facilities soared after the passing of the GI Bill after World War II. The GI Bill provided many benefits and one of them was the opportunity to attend college or vocational school all expenses paid. The United States’ need for higher educated citizens is currently very important, however higher education faces many issues due to the question of college as an investment, the need for critical thinkers in the workforce and the growing wage gap.
The issue of college as an investment is an argument of definition due to the question “is college a good investment?” The Pew Research …show more content…
Lawrence, Menand, and Hanford see college as a place to learn the important critical thinking skills and oral skills needed to succeed as professionals. Menand identifies college as a four-year intelligence test. He also believes that “College exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing”(Menand par.8). Menand basically views college as a platform and grow as a citizen by forming logical opinions and thinking critically. Tierney on the other hand believes that America is underperforming due to the new requirements and standards of future high level performing jobs. Menand describes an intelligent and critical thinker as “open-minded, an outside-the-box thinker, an effective communicator, is prudent, self-critical and consistent”(Menand par.5). Karen Lawrence adds “critical abilities will allow graduates to make a difference in the world”(Lawrence par.3). Both Menand and Lawrence believe in the long-term success of critical thinkers due to the need for highly adaptive professionals who are world-ready and skilled to tackle any occupational complexities. Menand provides two opposing definitions of education “the first theory, then it doesn’t matter which courses students take, or even what is taught in them all that matters is the grades. The second theory, might consider grades a useful instrument of positive or negative reinforcement, but the only thing that matters is what students actually learn”(Menand par.10). Menand’s theories bring about the argument of definition that surrounds the value of education and the topic of critical thinking. The issue depends on what a person sees as important grades and GPAs or what is learned and how it can be applied in the real
The issue of college as an investment is an argument of definition due to the question “is college a good investment?” The Pew Research …show more content…
Lawrence, Menand, and Hanford see college as a place to learn the important critical thinking skills and oral skills needed to succeed as professionals. Menand identifies college as a four-year intelligence test. He also believes that “College exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing”(Menand par.8). Menand basically views college as a platform and grow as a citizen by forming logical opinions and thinking critically. Tierney on the other hand believes that America is underperforming due to the new requirements and standards of future high level performing jobs. Menand describes an intelligent and critical thinker as “open-minded, an outside-the-box thinker, an effective communicator, is prudent, self-critical and consistent”(Menand par.5). Karen Lawrence adds “critical abilities will allow graduates to make a difference in the world”(Lawrence par.3). Both Menand and Lawrence believe in the long-term success of critical thinkers due to the need for highly adaptive professionals who are world-ready and skilled to tackle any occupational complexities. Menand provides two opposing definitions of education “the first theory, then it doesn’t matter which courses students take, or even what is taught in them all that matters is the grades. The second theory, might consider grades a useful instrument of positive or negative reinforcement, but the only thing that matters is what students actually learn”(Menand par.10). Menand’s theories bring about the argument of definition that surrounds the value of education and the topic of critical thinking. The issue depends on what a person sees as important grades and GPAs or what is learned and how it can be applied in the real