Difficult Simple

This isn’t the kind of quirky, even incomprehensible, entry title you’re probably used to, but it’s to the point. MA sent me a thought-provoking article from Inside Higher Ed that discusses a serious problem for some HBCUs: standards.

The article — which you really ought to read, rather than relying on my summary — is about Steven D. Aird, a biology professor at Norfolk State. Or, rather, a former biology professor; he was sacked for failing too many students.

The university suggests that Aird — who is white — has failed to embrace the mission of educating those who aren’t well prepared. But Aird — who had backing from his department and has some very loyal students as well — maintains that the university is hurting the very students it says it wants to help. Aird believes most of his students could succeed, but have no incentive to work as hard as they need to when the administration makes clear they can pass regardless.

Potential white/black disharmony aside, there’s a practical issue at the root of this, and the article makes note of it. To whit: many black students come from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds and their education reflects this. To come right out and say it: these kids don’t know anything about being college students because their K-12 education was beyond lousy.

Some HBCUs have lots of money, great students and the highest standards. Others, like Norfolk State, deal directly with the plight of students overlooked by the top tier schools but who still deserve a shot at a college degree. And note that I say a shot, not a guaranteed walk down the aisle.

The article mentions further:

The question raised by Aird and his defenders is whether Norfolk State is succeeding and whether policies about who passes and who fails have an impact. According to U.S. Education Department data, only 12 percent of Norfolk State students graduate in four years, and only 30 percent graduate in six years.

This is a problem all across the university spectrum, not just at HBCUs. The days of students living in dorms, hitting the books full-time and getting out in four years are not just waning, they’re gone. Most students live off campus, have jobs/lives and it takes time to earn that degree. Clearly in the Norfolk State example, and in other HBCUs like it, there’s more at issue in that students who can barely read and write aren’t going to zoom through the curriculum. So it’s time for all universities, and Norfolk State-style HBCUs, to revisit their expectations and their structure.

In a broader sense, universities need to embrace the five-year model and, in doing so, streamline their curricula to reflect the necessary elements/classes, as opposed to the ideal. Just about any undergraduate program includes a good semester or more of deadweight. Prune, shape and graft, administrators, and create a relevant, integrated degree track that keeps students involved and produces a focused graduate.

On the HBCU front — or at least those who follow the Norfolk model — a six-year program is best. Year one should provide the education most of these students didn’t get in K-12. The standards should be high both academically and in terms of attendance. Essentially that first year teaches students not only what they need to know as college attendees, but also how to excel. Those who can’t get through this phase not only deserve to wash out, but should, because they simply aren’t college material.

And that’s the last point that ought to be addressed honestly: college isn’t for everyone. Rather than count on the two- and four-year college system to address shortcomings in K-12, we ought to raise standards in those years. That means more money, better facilities, a nationwide standard of excellence and, most importantly, a concerted effort by all to respect education. It’s no wonder so many students feel entitled when they see no value in learning, when the paper one gets at the end is more important than what happened leading up to that moment.