□#ARNEVALEINDD□□□
□□□□!-
7E□ACKNOWLEDGE□THAT□NOT□EVERYONE□NEEDS□TO□GO□TO□COLLEGE□"UT□EVERYONE□NEEDS□A□POST
SECONDARY□EDUCATION□)NDEED□WE□HAVE□SEEN□AMPLE□EVIDENCE□THAT□ACCESS□TO□POSTSECONDARY□
EDUCATION□AND□TRAINING□IS□INCREASINGLY□VITAL□TO□AN□INDIVIDUALS□ECONOMIC□SECURITY
#OMMISSION□ON□THE□&UTURE□OF□(IGHER□%DUCATION□
D
ESPITE□THE□COMMISSIONS□CAREFUL□DISTINCTION□BETWEEN□hPOSTSEC
ONDARY□EDUCATION□AND□TRAININGv□AND□A□COLLEGE□EDUCATION □WHAT□
WE□HAVE□HERE □FROM□THE□CONSERVATIVE□SIDE□OF□THE□AISLE □IS□A□FRESH□
NATIONAL□COMMITMENT□TO□hCOLLEGE□FOR□ALL v□A□POPULIST□PROMISE□
TO□PUT□A□BOOKISH□CHICKEN□IN□EVERY□POT□4HE□BELIEF□IN□hCOLLEGE□FOR□ALLv□AND□ITS□AWK
WARD□COUNTRY□COUSIN□hPOSTSECONDARY□EDUCATION□AND□TRAINING□FOR□ALLv□IS□HERE□TO□STAY □
BECAUSE□IT□IS□ANIMATED□BY□A□UNIQUELY□!MERICAN□MIX□OF□CULTURAL□AND□POLITICAL□BIASES□
THAT□GO□DEEPER□THAN□POLITICAL□DIVISIONS□0UBLIC□SUPPORT□FOR□hCOLLEGE□FOR□ALLv□UNIFIES□
THE□ASPIRING□MIDDLE□CLASS□WITH□THOSE□WHO□HAVE□ALREADY□ARRIVED□BUT□HAVE□A□FEAR□OF□
FALLING□AND□A□DREAD□OF□DOWNWARD□MOBILITY□FOR□THEIR□CHILDREN□
4HE□!MERICAN□BELIEF□IN□hCOLLEGE□FOR□ALLv□ARISES□FROM□DEEP□IN□OUR□INDIVIDUALISTIC□
CULTURAL□BIAS□7E□WELCOME□AN□INCREASING□RELIANCE□ON□COLLEGE□AS□THE□ARBITER□OF□INDI
VIDUAL□CAREER□OPPORTUNITY□SINCE □IN□THEORY□AT□LEAST □USING□EDUCATION□TO□MEDIATE□OP
PORTUNITY□ALLOWS□US□TO□EXPAND□MERIT
BASED□SUCCESS□WITHOUT□SURRENDERING□INDIVIDUAL□
RESPONSIBILITY□!FTER□ALL □WE□EACH□HAVE□TO□DO□OUR□OWN□HOMEWORK□TO□MAKE□THE□GRADES□
AND□ACE□THE□TESTS□THAT□GET□US□INTO□COLLEGE□AND□IN□LINE□FOR□THE□GOOD□JOBS□□
!NTHONY□#ARNEVALE□IS□DIRECTOR□OF□THE□'LOBAL□)NSTITUTE□ON□%DUCATION□AND□THE□%CONOMY□AT□'EORGETOWN□
5NIVERSITY□0RIOR□TO□THAT □HE□WAS□VICE□PRESIDENT□FOR□PUBLIC□LEADERSHIP□AT□THE□%DUCATIONAL□4ESTING□3ER
VICE□AND□SERVED□AS□A□SENIOR□STAFF□MEMBER□IN□BOTH□HOUSES□OF□#ONGRESS□AND□AS□A□PRESIDENTIAL□APPOINTEE□
TO□A□VARIETY□OF□COMMITTEES □BOARDS □AND□COMMISSIONS□IN□THREE□53□PRESIDENTSg□ADMINISTRATIONS□"EFORE□
HIS□GOVERNMENT□SERVICE □HE□WAS□POLITICAL□AND□LEGISLATIVE□