Algee 1

Caitlyn Algee
C.Wyman
English Comp.
28 October, 2015

Effects On Education
During the last couple years of high school, students are shown advertisements
of many different colleges that may or may not fit all of their needs. There are a few
reoccurring ideals that all of the colleges shown have in common, such as money, the
type of school and the teaching methods that are being used in the classroom. The
problem these students face with all of these options available is being able to get the
best education for themselves, remaining in their financial budget, and also making sure
their teachers styles fit their learning needs. The amount of information that a student
can intake is dependent on their own learning style, which is critical to obtaining their
degree. This leads to another issue on education, which is the amount of time a student
puts into each class. The question is, whether or not the money and time being put into
an education, or the methods students are being taught, have a bigger impact on the
education that they receive.
In theory, money makes an impact on a students education. As much as we wish
it didnt, money determines where a student is going to college, with the exception of
scholarships and pell grants/loans. Even these are not available to everyone. Lucy
Lapovsky, a reporter from Forbes magazine, states, Last year, 57% of students, the
highest share on record, chose not to attend their first choice school. That's more than
half of all high school students that are not attending their dream institution due to

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financial issues. Given all of that, being a senior in high school looking at financial aid
award letters, one would catch themselves realizing that the unrealistic amount of
money expected from ones parent's pocket is making them consider other school
choices without even thinking about it. When paying a high price for an education, one
would do this under the assumption that they are paying for the very best education that
they can receive. When attending a university, students are exposed to a variety of
professors that have a wide range of varying experiences.
Most professors like to pride themselves with the notion that they have their own,
unique, teaching methods. The truth is, almost all teaching methods can be generalized
into categories. It isnt guaranteed that every teaching method will work for every
student. It is the professors that come to class with a certain energy that can make an
environment worth attending. They seek to not just share information, but to connect
with their students. They bring in different methods and teaching styles that are easier to
understand and to relate to. Students who perceive teachers as creating a caring, wellstructured learning environment in which expectations are high, clear, and fair are more
likely to report engagement in school. In turn, high levels of engagement are associated
with higher attendance and test scores (pg 270) states Klem et al. This shows that
college professors who consistently engage their students are rewarded with increased
grade averages and better attendance. Barry Alford states, Freire stressed, and Shor
admonishes us to remember, that critical literacy grows out of the experiences of those
who develop and express it, and, like all things authentic and meaningful, it is well worth
the mess and inconvenience, (281). Professors that put in the extra effort to engage
their students, while also helping their students achieve success, are typically

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prosperous. There is the occasion though, where it is the amount of time the student
puts towards the class that makes or breaks their progress.
The traditional effort standard states that students should put in at least two or
more hours of study time every week for each hour they are actually in class. For some,
this standard is hard to reach. Philip Babcock and Mindy Marks state that, The
evidence indicates not only that college students are studying less than they used to,
but also that the vast majority of the time they once devoted to studying is now being
allocated to leisure activities, rather than paid work, (3). With students becoming lazier
with their studying, grade standards are also lowering. Are students completely to blame
though? Babcock and Marks continue on to state that, Because students appear to put
in less effort when grading is more lenient, grade inflation may have contributed to the
decline, (5). Teachers want better evaluations, so they become more lenient on their
students. This leads to a decline in the work that is put into a class, while also causing
an inflation in grades. Theres even very frequent times that students harass their
professors into giving them the better grade. Mark Edmundson goes on to express that,
It's my generation of parents who sheltered these students, kept them away from the
hard knocks of everyday life, making them cautious and overfragile, who demanded that
their teachers, from grade school on, flatter them endlessly so that the kids are shocked
if their college profs don't reflexively suck up to them, (286). Even he agrees that
students expect leniency. Teachers being lenient on their students grades can lead to a
decline in the value of degrees.
The way a professor teaches and engages a class, the amount of money a
student is able to spend on college, and the amount of time a student puts into their

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classes all have an effect on the overall education that they can receive. While some
may struggle in some areas, others flourish. While some glide through college on the
wings of bribed teachers, others study and work countless hours to earn their degree.
Each student has their own learning style, and getting into the routine of that style can
be challenging at first. Once they get a grasp on that, however, I believe one cannot fail.
Getting to that point is the challenge. With the aid of professors and tutors, any student
can succeed in college.

Work Cited
Alford, B. "Freirean Voices, Student Choices." Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to
Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture 2.1 (2002): 115-18. Web.
Babcock, Philip, and Mindy Marks. "Leisure College, USA: The Decline in Student
Study Time." American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (2010): n. pag.
Web.

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Barton, David, and Hamilton, Mary. Literacy Practices. Exploring Relationships

Globalization and learning in the 21st Century: Custom ed Vol. 1. Massachusetts:
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 246 Print.
Edmundson, Mark.On the Uses of Liberal Education. Exploring Relationships
Globalization and Learning in the 21st Century: Custom ed Vol.1. Massachusetts:
Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 282 Print.
Leithwood,Kenneth, Louis, Karen, Anderson, Stephen, Wahlstrom, Kyla, How
Leadership Influences Student Learning. Learning From Leadership Project: 2004, 05
April 2015. Web.
McGrath, Maggie Money Isn't Everything: When It's Worth Taking On $50,000 Or
More In Student Debt, Forbes Magazine, 17 Oct. 2015. Web.
Pianta, Robert, Hamre, Bridget, Allen, Joseph, Teacher-Student Relationships and
Engagement. Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Improving the Capacity of Classroom
Interactions: Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, 5 April 2015 Web. 2012