"DON'T USE a calculator, use your head!" Sound familiar? We've all heard our parents and grade school teachers hounding us to exercise our brains instead of our fingers punching in numbers on a calculator. But did we listen?
A study released last Friday by the American Institutes for Research indicates that many college students didn't heed the advice. The survey, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, also revealed that more than half of today's college students are unable to perform rudimentary tasks such as analyzing news articles, balancing a checkbook, and figuring out the tip at a restaurant. This is both embarrassing and inexcusable, and something should be done on a variety of levels to mitigate the severity of the situation.
These pathetic findings demonstrate a sizeable failure on the part of our nation's school system, as well as a prevalence of low expectations in our society in general. Even though today's students have a higher literacy rate than the average adult, (which is scary) this is no excuse to accept the status quo. The responsibility to foster proficiency in mathematics and analytical skills lies on the shoulders of several segments of society -- grade schools and high schools, colleges, parents and college students -- through a common sense approach combining rigorous reinforcement of essential perfunctory skills with a development of critical thinking abilities.
According to the AIR press release, the survey was divided into three branches of literacy: prose, which "indicates the ability to read and understand information in newspapers, brochures, and instructional materials;" document, which involves the ability to comprehend job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables, and food or prescription drug labels," and quantitative, which "involves the ability to perform computations."
To conduct the study, 1,827 college students in their last year of education were tested on their knowledge of these skills. The students were from 80 randomly selected two-year and four-year colleges and universities (both public and private).
According to the Associated Press, more than 50 percent of students from two-year colleges and 75 percent of those from two-year colleges couldn't complete what were considered to be complex tasks, including interpreting data tables, comparing credit card offers, and comprehending newspaper editorials. Students' performance did not differ significantly between public and private colleges.
Our elite institution (currently ranked twenty-third by U.S. News & World Report) is not immune to this inadequate performance level. Prof. Karin Bonding, a chartered financial analyst who teaches Personal Finance at the Commerce School, stated in a phone interview that she was "not surprised" by the findings of the study. She commented, "My class consists of fourth year-students, and they don't know what a budget is, and they're bright U.Va. students."
According to Bonding, the financial illiteracy rampant among college students is due in part to parents' lack of involvement. "Parents should make children realize where money comes from," not just "give them a piece of plastic." Here is one simple area where parents can play a role in improving the situation by instilling fiscal responsibility and savvy from a young age.
Additionally, Bonding's solution for encouraging financial competency among students is to make a class on personal finance similar to the one she teaches a mandatory graduation requirement. Bonding pointed out that even though financial literacy is not an "academic" skill, it's still a "life skill" which colleges bear "some responsibility" in imparting before sending students "out into the real world."
Politics Prof. Steven Rhoads believes that students haven't been prepared for higher education throughout their academic careers. He stated in a phone interview, "The problem is at the lower level, at the elementary and secondary level." He was also not shocked that many students couldn't decipher an op-ed piece, but noted that the study included students from colleges with a wide range of academic standards.
To an extent, there has been a renewed focus on basic competence in math and English starting from the elementary level with measures such as No Child Left Behind that test these areas. It isn't perfect, but the main thrust is a step in the right direction. Continuing this trend would also go a long way to advancing the literacy measured in the study.
AIR's report shouldn't be taken lightly, and it should be a wake-up call for many. All of this may seem straightforward, but based on the survey results, apparently, it isn't being applied. All of these institutions bear some of the brunt in educating students to become self-sufficient, intelligent members of society. And, we as students don't get off scot-free.
It's our duty as citizens to stay informed of the important political issues and current events by reading newspapers. We should take a vested interest in our education and seek to improve any life skills we may be lacking; after all, the "real world" isn't far away.
Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.
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