LA Times

Not everyone needs to go to college, but turning away from traditional learning, especially in high school, poses a threat to the intellectual depth necessary for whatever paths we choose in life.

Not everyone achieves college-level skills, but as a nation we have come closer than ever to that goal, with great benefits for our country. The World Bank summarizes all the ways higher rates and levels of education make a difference — innovation and growth, productivity and wages, civic engagement and even health.

Nonetheless, the massive wage gap — a 60% difference by age 55 — between those who complete at least four years of college and those who don’t is real. And many of the occupations on the government’s list of fastest-growing jobs require not just a bachelor’s but a master’s degree. I also find it ironic that the push to deemphasize college comes as we better understand how to make more students and K-12 schools into “high performers” academically.