A recent poll found that there’s a growing percentage of people who believe that to be successful, it’s not necessary to obtain education than a high school diploma. And that opinion is more common among white people than minorities.
Dr. Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, says that the automation and outsourcing in blue collar industries makes education beyond high school even more important than ever. But the rising costs associated with community colleges and four year universities may be steering people away.
“A majority of folks in all communities recognize that you’ve got to get education beyond high school,” Klineberg says. “What I worry about is that we’re not making that education readily accessible to the whole range of people that we need to if we’re going to prepare the next generation for success in the global knowledge economy of the 21st century.”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– Why these trends have changed more recently
– Why minorities value higher education more, but are represented less in its ranks
– Why white people may be more likely to be skeptical of higher education
Written by Emma Whalen.
