College completion and the problem of low graduation rates in the US
College completion is an essential indicator that an individual has properly acquired vital skills through education. However, an analysis of colleges in America indicates that they enroll a large number of learners at the beginning of education programs but at the end of educational program, a substantial number of learners fail to graduate. In America, low graduation rates from colleges is a problem and it results from inadequate academic preparation, low-income background and racial discrimination in learning institutions.
The impact of college drop-outs and failure to progress
Factors such as college drop-outs and failure to progress to next levels immensely reduce graduation rates among college students thus create a negative perception towards education in America. Apart from learners who fail to complete their studies within stipulated time, a majority of learners transfer to other institutions and hence educational administrators cannot account for their fate regarding course completion. Therefore, a consistently low rate of graduation has led to the need to analyze its causal factors.
Poor academic preparation as a cause of low graduation rates
One of the causes of low graduation rates in colleges is poor academic preparation among learners. A majority of students fail to concentrate on their studies hence fail to pass their exams thereby contributing to their inability to progress to next levels (Durham & Westlund, 2011). In colleges, learners’ failure to satisfy academic requirements set by their institution hence fail to attain the set records leads to low graduation rates. Also, academic under-preparedness results from poor preparation in high school (Creighton, 2007). High school education is the basis for college learning hence inadequate preparation adversely affects a learner's ability to successfully undertake their studies and graduate within a specified period set by their educational administrators.
The impact of low-income background on graduation rates
Secondly, low-income background of learners immensely contributes to inability to successfully undertake their educational programs and graduate within stipulated time. Research indicates that lack of fee makes learners miss classes or drop out of colleges thus the cause of low rates of graduation (Creighton, 2007). Indeed, lack of fee demoralizes learners and makes them perform poorly in their studies thereby leading to low completion rates. Also, Durham & Westlund (2011) opine that low-income background makes students pursue their studies as a part-time activity hence poor performance and extended stay in colleges.
The impact of racial discrimination on graduation rates
Finally, low rates of graduation in colleges result from racial discrimination among students or from tutors. Creighton (2007) argues that level of racial discrimination is high in colleges hence demoralize learners making them skip their studies and fail to graduate as stipulated by institutions in which they learn. Through racial discrimination, learners develop a negative attitude towards their studies thus perform poorly in their examinations. According to Creighton (2007), racial discrimination significantly affects relationships between learners and their tutors thereby reducing the latter's success in educational programs. Lecturers who racially discriminate against students impede learners' ability to grasp contents the latter learn in classrooms hence poor academic records and low rates of graduation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, low rates of graduation from colleges is a major problem in the US and it results from inadequate academic preparedness, low-income background of the learners and racial discrimination in learning institutions. As evident in this essay, racial discrimination demoralizes learners hence contribute to their delayed completion. On the other hand, low-income backgrounds reduce learner's ability to pay college fee and stay in college to undertake their studies properly. Finally, inadequate academic preparation causes learners to score poorly and meet their college's threshold for graduation.
References
Creighton, L. M. (2007). Factors affecting the graduation rates of university students from underrepresented populations. International electronic journal for leadership in learning, 11, 7. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ987305.pdf
Durham, R. E., " Westlund, E. (2011). A Descriptive Look at College Enrollment and Degree Completion of Baltimore City Graduates. Baltimore Education Research Consortium. Retrieved from http://baltimore-berc.org/pdfs/CollegeEnrollmentFullReport.pdf
