Someone made a reply to your post... also positive-signalling feedback loops do exist until they are cut off by thresholds, like the urge to urinate... isn't crypto technically a positive signalling feedback loop?
My suggestion is that we need to overhaul the public school system in this country to reflect something more akin to Europe and the German model as was when I was there.
We have waay too many folks entering college, who should not be there. At least double. You make mention (graph) of the rising numbers of females and the flat numbers of males (IIRC). More interesting might be the graph of the numbers of males vs females in rigorous courses of study, say STEM fields vs faux courses of study, like “Communications”, “Feminist Theory”, and the like. Universities admit those of low ability—basically anyone who can fog a mirror—for the purpose of tuition milking, then are forced to create faux study fields to award degrees in. In my day, it was faster and cheaper just to send a $200 to a ‘degree mill’ and have them send you a fancy engraved piece of parchment with your name on it.
HS is much the same. I believe you mentioned something to the effect that anyone can attend and complete. Definitely, and so an HS education and degree now is worthless as well. That wasn’t the case in the early 1900’s thru the 1940’s. Many did not complete a HS degree due to the rigors of the instruction and the lure/need of gainful employment. Grade school taught what was necessary to make your way as a self sufficient American citizen. HS was a bonus of sorts, but not always completed, and considered more as preparation for university application. For me, indeed it was.
So where do we go from here? The resources devoted to tertiary education are immense, while the economic/societal promise of a degree is fading rapidly. HS is now pretty worthless and the students often learn nothing of value to a future employer. I propose we divide students at the HS level into dual tracks: academic (college bound), and trades. Concomitantly we can restructure the curriculum of each to provide a solid education tailored to the student’s interest and ability.
Of course, this requires we reject our egalitarianism fantasy. Not sure we are at that point yet as a nation.
Someone made a reply to your post... also positive-signalling feedback loops do exist until they are cut off by thresholds, like the urge to urinate... isn't crypto technically a positive signalling feedback loop?
https://endofworld.substack.com/p/beyond-signaling-education-pacification
My suggestion is that we need to overhaul the public school system in this country to reflect something more akin to Europe and the German model as was when I was there.
We have waay too many folks entering college, who should not be there. At least double. You make mention (graph) of the rising numbers of females and the flat numbers of males (IIRC). More interesting might be the graph of the numbers of males vs females in rigorous courses of study, say STEM fields vs faux courses of study, like “Communications”, “Feminist Theory”, and the like. Universities admit those of low ability—basically anyone who can fog a mirror—for the purpose of tuition milking, then are forced to create faux study fields to award degrees in. In my day, it was faster and cheaper just to send a $200 to a ‘degree mill’ and have them send you a fancy engraved piece of parchment with your name on it.
HS is much the same. I believe you mentioned something to the effect that anyone can attend and complete. Definitely, and so an HS education and degree now is worthless as well. That wasn’t the case in the early 1900’s thru the 1940’s. Many did not complete a HS degree due to the rigors of the instruction and the lure/need of gainful employment. Grade school taught what was necessary to make your way as a self sufficient American citizen. HS was a bonus of sorts, but not always completed, and considered more as preparation for university application. For me, indeed it was.
So where do we go from here? The resources devoted to tertiary education are immense, while the economic/societal promise of a degree is fading rapidly. HS is now pretty worthless and the students often learn nothing of value to a future employer. I propose we divide students at the HS level into dual tracks: academic (college bound), and trades. Concomitantly we can restructure the curriculum of each to provide a solid education tailored to the student’s interest and ability.
Of course, this requires we reject our egalitarianism fantasy. Not sure we are at that point yet as a nation.