Colleges and the Dumbing Down of America

For decades, international testing data have shown that the United States, for all its leadership in technological innovation and economic success, has been, at best, so-so in teaching fundamental knowledge to young Americans. Moreover, the situation appears to have worsened, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has not recovered to anemic pre-pandemic levels since. And, a recent RealClear Investigations report documents that our K-12 schools are enhancing mediocrity by worsening an already wrongheaded grade inflation by continuing to give students high grades even as their learning continues to decline. As one refreshing voice of sanity, Maryland education chief Carey Wright put it, “If you set the bar low, that’s all you are going to get. But if you set the bar high for students, and support teachers and leaders, it [higher student performance] is doable.”

College professors are doing the same thing. College grades today are dramatically higher than they were decades ago: When I started teaching in the 1960s, the most common grade in survey courses in my field of economics was “C,” while today it is more commonly a “B.” Are students getting better?

Short answer: No. A variety of testing data show shocking ignorance even among college students. Rather than being a corrective force mitigating the partially woke-induced behavior on the part of the K-12 establishment, the colleges seem to be encouraging it. This was revealed starkly in a recent report by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni surveying 3,000 college students, Losing America’s Memory 2.0.  Examples: more students thought President Joe Biden was President of the Senate than the correct answer, Vice President Kamala Harris. Most of those surveyed did not correctly know that U.S. Senators serve six-year terms, whereas House members serve two years. Fewer than two in five students could name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—John Roberts. Less than one in three respondents knew that James Madison is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution. I suspect similar testing of scientific literacy would show similar results. Also troubling: a majority of respondents indicate they self-censor when discussing politics, implying fear of negative consequences from freely expressing themselves.

Like many Americans, I am appalled by the prevailing Woke Supremacy at many American colleges that disdains intellectual diversity and lively debate. I deplore anti-Semitism and the lack of civility and respect for fellow students exhibited by a campus cancel culture. I deplore the waste and administrative bloat. But the biggest deficiency is often hidden: our students are not working anywhere near their intellectual capacity and the colleges are doing nothing to reverse that. Already victimized by a K-12 system that does not prioritize learning and discovery, students are further disadvantaged by a similar mindset at the college level.

At elite schools, advanced students’ average grade point average is often well above 3.50: between a “B+” and “A-.” Grades are almost meaningless in separating the truly exceptional students from the merely fairly competent ones. Time use studies show that the typical college student in the mid-20th century worked 40 hours weekly taking classes, studying, writing papers, preparing for exams, etc. Today, the figure is 28 hours–30 percent less. Students are getting higher grades for less work.

Who is going to fix this problem, and how? The good news is this problem is not costly to solve. The bad news is that university authorities have ignored it for decades and are not likely going to fix it on their own. If university governing boards acted responsibly, they would take action. For example, they should mandate that the cumulative undergraduate grade point average for the student body could not exceed 2.60 for freshmen and sophomores and 2.90 for juniors and seniors. Academic units would then have to find a way to enforce those standards, with failure to do so leading to forfeiture of a large portion of the salary raise pool. If grades suddenly became much more meaningful, more serious studying would occur.

Other remedies are possible: public universities might see grade regulation by state governments, which would be arguably a mixed blessing at best. We could also put some academic performance standards into federal Pell Grant and student loan programs, and schools should have skin in the game—suffering from loan forfeiture. It is time for American college students to work harder and party less.

This article was first published by Minding the Campus on November 19, 2024.