Minority Report
American universities are accepting more minorities than ever. Graduating them is another matter.
Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, was justifiably proud of Bowdoin's efforts to recruit minority students. Since 2003 the small, elite liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine, has boosted the proportion of so-called under-represented minority students in entering freshman classes from 8% to 13% . "It is our responsibility to reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places," he told a NEWSWEEK reporter. But Bowdoin has not done quite as well when it comes to actually graduating minorities. While 9 out of 10 white students routinely get their diplomas within six years, only 7 out of 10 black students made it to graduation day in several recent classes.
"If you look at who eithers college, it now looks like America," says Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has closely studied enrollment patterns in higher education. " But if you look at who walks across the stage for a diploma, it's still largely the white, upper-income population.
The United States once had the highest graduation rate of any nation. Now it stands 10th. For the first time in American history, there is the risk that the rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one. The graduation rate among 25-to 34-year-olds is no better than the rate for the 55-to 64-year-olds who were going to college more than 30 years ago. Studies show that more and more poor and non-white students want to graduate from college— but their graduation rates fill far short of their dreams. The graduation rates for blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans lag far behind the graduation rates for whites and Asians. As the minority population grows in the United States, low college graduation rates be some a threat to national prosperity.
The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2007 the University of Wisconsin-Madison—one of the top five or so prestigious publi 3 universities—graduated 81 % of its white students within six years, but only 56% of its blacks. At less-selective slate schools, the numbers get worse. During the same time frame, the University of Northern Iowa graduated 67% of its white students, but only 39% of its blacks. Community colleges have low graduation rates generally—but rock-bottom rates for minorities. A recent review of California community colleges found that while a third of the Asian students picked up their degrees, only 15% of African-Americans did so as well.
Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it cones to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby Colby College logged an 18-point difference between white and black graduates in 2007 and 25 points in 2006. Middlebury College in Vermont, another top school, had a 19-point gap in 2007 and a 22-point gap in 2006. The most selective private schools— Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—show almost no gap between black and white graduation rates. But that may have more to do with their ability to select the best students. According to data gathered by Harvard Law School professor Lani Guinier, the most selective schools are more likely to choose blacks who have at least one immigrant parent from Africa or the Caribbean than black students who are descendants of American slaves.
" Higher education has been able to duck this issue for years, particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is on the individual student," says Pennington of the Gates Foundation. "If they fail, it's their fault. " Some critics blame affirmative action-students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem m
A．The small proportion of minority students.
B．The low graduation rates of minority students.
C．The growing conflicts among ethnic groups.
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A．Childhood in his native home, Texas.
B．Working as congressional secretary in Washington.
C．Vacationing at his ranch in Texas.
D．Presidency in the White House.
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Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated. They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it. Today the difference is very marked indeed.
The old always assume that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. They don't like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn't people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab grey suits and convict haircuts? If we ruin our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional politics or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their personal lives, so obsessed with mean ambitions and the desire to amass more and more material possessions? Haven't the old lost touch with all that is important in life?
These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn't been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old—if they are prepared to admit it—could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not "sinful". Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure, to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future.
What's the old generation's comment on the young?
A．The young are more knowledgeable than they are about the world around.
B．The young treat historical events as seriously as they do.
C．The young do not behave the way they did when they were young.
D．The young tend to ruin their minds to more serious matters.
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The vast majority of people in any given culture will ________ established standards of that culture.
A) confine
B) conform
C) confront
D) confirm
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How do propagandists argue for the U.S. drug pricing policy?
A) Low prices will affect the quality of medicines in America.
B) High prices are essential to funding research on new drugs.
C) Low prices will bring about the anger of drug manufacturers.
D) High-price drugs are indispensable in curing chronic diseases.
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The task of being accepted and enrolled in a university or college begins early for some students. Long【C1】 ______ they graduate from high school, these students take special【C2】______ to prepare for advanced study. They may also take one or more examinations that test how【C3】______ prepared they are for the university. 19 the final year of high school, they【C4】______ applications and send them, with their student records, to the universities which they hope to【C5】______ . Some high school students may be【C6】______ to have an interview with representatives of the university. Neatly【C7】______ , and usually very frightened, they are【C8】______ to show that they have a good attitude and the 【C9】______ to succeed. When the new students are finally【C10】______ , there may be one more step they have to【C11】______ before registering for classes and【C12】 ______ to work. Many colleges and universities【C13】______ an orientation program for new students.【C14】______ these programs, the young people get to know the【C15】______ for registration and student advising, university rules, the【C16】______ of the library and all the other【C17】______ services of the college or university.
Beginning a new life in a new place can be very【C18】______ . The more knowledge students have【C19】______ the school, the easier it will be for them to【C20】______ to the new environment. However, it takes time to get used to college life.
【C1】
A．as
B．after
C．since
D．before