Running Head: AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
American Schools: A Mountain of Debt Too High to Overcome
Student’s Name
AP Language & Composition
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
From the most rudimentary one-room schools of early America to the vast technologydriven university campuses seen today, education has taken center stage in the United States as
important and integral. However, with the inevitable expansion has come increasing costs to the
student as those same universities struggle to accommodate so many students with so diverse
interests. In order to secure the future for the American youth and to preserve a long-lasting
tradition upon which other nations look, the US government should push to impose policies on
public colleges and universities that would lower the cost to the student to attend, promoting
education and prosperity.
Throughout American history, society has placed a tremendous amount of weight on the
institution of education and the values for which it stands. Armed with a single stick of chalk, the
young female teacher standing in a musty one-room house before a group of students sticks in
Americans’ minds as iconic of its beginnings. The amount of social cooperation required to teach
was evident in the “power of community” and “high value placed on education” that early
Americans had, especially when resources were not readily available (“Evolving Classrooms”,
2014). Even the farmer, whose life wasn’t directly impacted by education, donated wood to heat
the rooms (“Evolving Classrooms”, 2014). This image proves that Americans have always come
together to solve problems, notably those of education. So, why should the inevitable progression
of technology and economy hold the American people back from something so important as
tradition? Admittedly, some may respond to such a question with “in the day and age, we are
growing farther and farther away from tradition with technology, and we’re not doing so bad.”
True, the quality of living of Americans today is quite high, with nearly everyone owning a
Smart device, a decidedly “untraditional” item. However, basic values are what transcend time,
not the circumstances of the era. Sure, blue collar work may have been prominent in the early
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
20th century, and it was common at that point. But the values retained from that time include a
good work ethic and cooperation. While we have moved towards technology-oriented work,
those values remain. But those values start to decay once the brutal realities of cost emerge.
The main concern with college is the tremendous cost that it poses to students, which
follows them around long after schooling. With the diversification of the American job market,
education becomes necessary to provide a comfortable standard of living. For example, those
who do not graduate from high school earn an average wage of $23,452 a year, while those who
get four year-degrees and PhDs earn averages of $55,000 and $65,000, respectively (Odland,
2012). The education that is provided up to the end of high school is simply not very high, and
money must be spent to achieve higher education. Only through this education can job
opportunities be expanded. Also, “the unemployment rate correlates directly with level of
education with the highest rates for the lowest education”, proving that to even get a job today, a
person must have higher learning (Odland, 2012). Thus, the education provided by those
universities are integral to being financially stable in life. Trends in higher education studies
definitively show that prices of tuition are rising for students. Over the last twenty-six years,
median income has remained relatively constant, but tuition has more than doubled (Censky,
2013). This figure can easily dissuade would-be college applicants, though the benefits of more
education outweigh that of the price tag of college. While some may point to some extremely
successful businessmen, like Bill Gates, who dropped out of Harvard, exceptions do exist. Not
every kid coming out of high school has had high natural ingenuity or intelligence, thus there
must be a standard. The average person coming out of high school must have a secure plan in
which they feel confident that they can become prosperous without loans bearing down on them.
Not only would subsides relieve the stress of loans after college, more educated people would
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
save the government money in the long run for things like food stamps and welfare, saving
between 7.9 and 10.8 billion dollars per year (“Dangers of a Poor Education”). Not only does the
average wage increase, but the government also gets more spending money, meaning that it has
more options and less debt: a benefit for the entire US. A relatively small investment of the US
government now could save so much later. However, with the immense amount of debt that a
student gets coming out of college—$25,000, the highest ever recorded in American history—
he/she may not see a day without debt for a long while (Mollette). Students who may observe
this trend may reconsider the benefit of college, as they are weighed down with student loans
immediately after exiting college. Many would forgo the intimidating eight-to-ten-year education
plan for a kind of immediate existence, looking only to the next day and not the future. The US
Department of Education has even admitted to the confusion in the college process: “Others
don’t enter college because of inadequate information and rising costs, combined with a
confusing financial aid system that spends too little on those
who need help the most” (United States). The financial aid system is flawed and must be
expanded further by limitations of college tuition. Without it, students are left disoriented after
college, with the debt only adding to troubles. Without government action, the grand number of
debt will only continue to rise, stressing the new graduates without any progress. Stress then is
deferred to the rest of the economy. Taken as a whole, the economy loses potential with the
staggering amount of debt that students have to carry. Especially considering the housing market,
student debt is forcing young adults to move back in with their parents, as they simply do not
have the liquid assets available to purchase an entire house (Dayen). The housing market, one the
most prominent gauges of the economy, suffers directly as a result of huge student debt. Not only
are students purchasing less houses, but they are getting poor credit score as a result of the
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
inevitable late payments on that debt (Dayen). With poor credit and no money, students simply
cannot contribute to the economy, defeating the purpose of college in the first place. Many large
industries, like the auto or insurance industries, require loans or at least good credit to function
correctly. In fact, in the area of the housing market, a recent college graduate, David Godowsky,
said that “I am no longer interested in looking [for a house] because I don’t think that I’ll be able
to find anything that will be able to meet my wants or my needs” (Afternoon Shift). This shows
the lack of interest in new college graduates about making big purchases, even if it something
that they want or need. Without any interest, there is no push, no driving force to move a
sluggish economy along. If the government were to step in and provide incentive for the young
to go to college, there would be more participation. There would be less debt-payoff and more
contribution to the weakened economy. There would be a competent workforce that doesn’t just
take things that are handed to them by the government, but uses them so that they may ultimately
become part of a productive body. While some may say that more government spending is a
taboo thing and should be avoided at all costs, there deserves to be some leeway. If the United
States could build up such a productive economy, past expenditures wouldn’t matter, as new jobs
would be created and perhaps even new technology and industries.
In an era where students coming out of college are overwhelmed by the tremendous
weight of debt, the US government should impose limits on the tuitions of secondary education,
not only to ultimately advance the American economy, but to preserve a long-standing tradition
of education in its culture. A country of immigrants, America has always attracted those from
other countries, mainly for its freedom. But looking to the future, “the best and brightest” come
here for education, which, “at a US institution is often viewed as a means of both individual and
national achievement” (Wellman, 9). This, undoubtedly, makes America better. It becomes a
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
more diversified place, giving more opportunity for benefits gained by invention and innovation.
In the same way as to American students, high education costs deter those who come over for
American education, ultimately hurting the American society as a whole. It is only through vast
action can education remain the center of American culture, advancing the next generation as it
did over four hundred years ago.
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
References
Censky, Annalyn. "American Incomes Can't Keep up with Tuition Hikes." Infographic.
CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 13 June 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Danger of a Poor Education: Education and the Economy." Education Voters of Pennsylvania.
Education Voters of Pennsylvania, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Dayen, David. "When Millenials Can't Move out of Their Parents' Basements the Entire
Economy Suffers." The New Republic. New Republic, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
"Evolving Classroom." PBS. Roundtable, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Fast Facts including a chart with information on university expenditures on students. National
Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Mollette, Glenn. "Colleges Cutting Costs: America Should Pay Attention."
LaCrosseTribune.com. La Crosse Tribune, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Odland, Steve. "College Costs out of Control." Forbes. N.p., 24 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Olson, Gary A. "Let's Refocus the Debate about Higher College Affordability." Huff Post
College. Huffington Post, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
“Student Debt." Untied States Student Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
Trombley, William. "Percent Increase in Public Four-Year Tuition and Fees." Map The National
Center for Public Policy and Higher Educations. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
United States. U.S. Department of Education. A Test of Leadership. By Margaret Spellings. Ed.
Cheryl Oldham. Jessup: Education Center, 2006. Print.
Wellman, Jane V., Donna A. Desrochers, and Colleen M. Lenihan. The Growing Imblanace.
AMERICAN SCHOOLS: A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT TOO HIGH
N.p.: Lumina Foundation for Education, 2008. Print. Recent Trends in U.S.
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