Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
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Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#2I don't really have the time, energy, or knowledge to create a fully cited refutation of the author other than to say that this just seems really wrong.
It might not be technically wrong because the author seems to be citing facts and I'm sure they're correct. But it seems wrong in the sense that they're missing the forest for the trees. Between 1991 and 2014 a lot has changed, particularly in the earning power of the generation being cited as being more educated. This is probably has very little to do with their education, more like it's kind of a macroeconomic ... situation ... they were born in to.
And this is for a country that already has the highest GDP in the world.
Maybe a better way to look at it would be to use people who were born into poverty and see if the rates of escaping it have changed because of more education....I don't know...this just feels like this author is picking a weird fight with education.
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#3> Brookings and the American Enterprise Institute claim to have hatched a bipartisan consensus plan for reducing poverty. As exciting as that sounds, the details of the plan, unfortunately, won't be available until David Brooks unveils them at an event on December 3rd.
This is really all you need to read. He's attacking strawmen for the rest of the article, because the actual Brookings/AEI report is more detailed and specific. You can find it here: http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/social-mobility-memos/posts/2....
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#4The only part that matters: "having more education does not necessarily increase people's productive capacity".
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#5The statistics would be a lot more informative if they broke out the educated segments of the population by field or college major.
I don't think many in the 21st century would expect a bachelor's or associates degree in english or history to provide many opportunities for additional income.
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#6The statistics would be a lot more informative if they broke out the educated segments of the population by field or college major. I don't think many in the 21st century would expect a bachelor's or associates degree in english or history to provide many opportunities for additional income.
Forbes: "Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter" (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2015/08/12/six-reaso...)
NY Times: "Does the College Major Matter? Not Really" (http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/does-the-colle...)
WSJ: "Your College Major Is a Minor Issue, Employers Say" (http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/04/10/your-college-major-is...)
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#7This article compares two graphs and deduces some rather broad realities from it, which are rather incorrect. It assumes that the state of the economy is the same today as it was 25 years ago: obviously, this isn't true. The skill sets in demand have changed drastically which must be accounted for.
That said, it does make the good point that it is rather easy to get misled by statistics that say that college graduates have lower unemployment rates. Or to assume that just by graduating high school/college guarantees a job, automagically.
I will say this though: the exposure to different ideas and the broadening of the mind that comes from a good education is rather priceless. Of course one doesn't have to go to college to get that. But it certainly seems like the most straightforward and fun way to do so (if you manage not to get too indebted etc.etc.).
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#8The statistics would be a lot more informative if they broke out the educated segments of the population by field or college major. I don't think many in the 21st century would expect a bachelor's or associates degree in english or history to provide many opportunities for additional income.
Forbes: "Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter" ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2015/08/12/six-reaso... ) NY Times: "Does the College Major Matter? Not Really" ( http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/does-the-colle... ) WSJ: "Your College Major Is a Minor Issue, Employers Say" ( http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/04/10/your-college-major-is... )
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#9This article taught me something... which apparently will have no impact on my ability to avoid poverty.
Re: Why Education Does Not Fix Poverty (2015)
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Forbes: "Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter" ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2015/08/12/six-reaso... ) NY Times: "Does the College Major Matter? Not Really" ( http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/does-the-colle... ) WSJ: "Your College Major Is a Minor Issue, Employers Say" ( http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/04/10/your-college-major-is... )
Major Premium: http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2013/04/major_premium.ht...
Sure, that's what the data shows. But that won't mean very much if everyone says the opposite. Most people never really dig into the numbers.