By JOHN RICHARD SCHROCK
This time of year, data become available comparing the prior school year with past years. One source is the annual “Almanac” by the Chronicle of Higher Education. They draw from U.S. Census Bureau and other sources to break down the educational attainment of citizens of each state. For Kansas (U.S. average in parentheses), 9 (11.4) percent lacked a high school diploma while 25.9 (26.9) percent had just a high school diploma. Another 23 (20) percent had some college but no degree while 8.7 (8.6) percent had an associate degree. 21.1 (20.3) percent had completed a bachelors and 12.3 (12.8) percent had completed a graduate or professional degree. Kansas had a one percent increase in high school graduation and a 2.7 percent increase in bachelor’s degrees or higher compared to five years earlier.
Kansas high school graduates for 2020-2021 are down to 37,290 and are projected to drop 5.9 percent by 2030-2031. Kansas currently has a high school dropout rate of 3.7 (2.2) percent. Some high school teacher colleagues indicate that many students are being passed who did not do passing work in their class. This was in part due to administrative pressure to raise graduation rates and in part due to a pandemic year of reduced learning and evaluation due to online or hybrid learning.
About 82 percent of Kansas high school graduates had taken the ACT and averaged 20.4 (20.6). Only 4 percent took the SAT and averaged 1237 (1051); these are most likely exceptional students applying to universities in other states that use the SAT exam for admissions.
The proportion of students who speak a language other than English at home is 12.1 (22) percent.
The percentage of Kansan 18-to-24-year-olds enrolled in higher education was 41 (42.1) percent.
Kansas funding for higher education operating expenses dropped 2.1 percent, compared with a national decline of only 1.3 percent.
The largest national enrollments were at Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University which both use a “competency-based” take-a-test-get-course-credit system.
The number of new international students coming to the U.S. in fall 2020 declined 43 percent over 2019, an accelerated decrease that began in 2016. Of course, international students currently pursuing higher education in the U.S. remain. According to the Association of International Educators, the one-year nationwide financial loss is about $1.8 billion. Foreign students contributed only $38.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2019-2020 compared to $40.5 billion in the academic year before. And 35 percent of international students in U.S. schools are from China.
Declines in international students since 2016, along with declining high school graduates nationwide has led to the closure of some higher education institutions. About three-fourths of closures were of for-profit colleges and universities, many that offered questionable online courses and programs. Facing declining enrolments, states such as Pennsylvania and Vermont have merged their public institutions.
Declines in college attendance has likewise occurred due to substantially more students graduating high school with college credits already “earned” in high school. While some of these high school courses are rigorous and taught by teachers with a masters degree and 18 graduate credit hours in the subject being taught, the accrediting agency for Kansas has granted an exemption from this requirement for a few more years, with the result that many such courses are taught by otherwise unqualified teachers.
In response to the difficulty of administering the SAT and ACT exams during the pandemic, these tests used in making university admissions decisions were often suspended. Some universities considered this a way to increase applications from weaker students, thus raising their rejection rate and achieving a higher score in university rankings.
There has been a decade-long decrease in tenured positions, with adjunct professors providing “financial flexibility.” Indeed, the drop in students during the pandemic resulted in a large number of adjunct faculty dismissed.
The National Center for Education Statistics lists 3,982 total institutions in the U.S., with 1,625 public 4-year or 2-year colleges, 1,660 private nonprofit 4-year or 2-year schools/community colleges, and 697 for-profit schools. Kansas has 33 public 4-year or 2-year colleges, 24 private nonprofit 4-year colleges, and 6 for-profit schools. Nationwide, the number of public 4-year universities dropped 2.3 percent from 2019-20 to 2020-21 and the number of community colleges dropped by 2.7 percent.
The number of U.S. college applicants nationwide who have filed applications for federal student aid indicates that the proportion of female students continues to grow, now comprising 62 percent and males only 38%. This continues a two-decade trend, in part driven by videogame addiction that is pulling males out of the education pipeline and causing a similar imbalance in colleges and universities worldwide.
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John Richard Schrock has trained biology teachers for more than 30 years in Kansas. He also has lectured at 27 universities in 20 trips to China. He holds the distinction of “Faculty Emeritus” at Emporia State University.