Is college prep a good goal for K-12 schooling?

When people talk about how good a high school is, they generally look at how many students continue to college. If everyone goes on to college and succeeds at that level, then the school must be doing a good job. Are we sure? Is that really such an important goal?

Up through the twelfth grade, many people view schooling as an important college preparatory tool. If you start at kindergarten, you are effectively spending thirteen years to maximize the value of a four-year process. Most of these schools make no effort to prepare students for the real world. They view that as the job for colleges.

Some of us believe there are better ways to spend those thirteen years. For example, this would be a good time to pursue an education. Unfortunately, pursuing the best education for a child can and generally does conflict with college entry requirements. Like the job market, most colleges put more value in rigid credentialism than the educations of those who are applying.

In our discriminatory society, it certainly makes sense to help people obtain the credentials that make them acceptable to colleges and employers. Doing so, however, helps enforce discrimination against those who dare to put more value in education than in schooling. On top of that, thirteen years is way too much to focus on college preparation. Even in elementary school, how to lead students to college entry requirements has become an issue.

If we really want to prepare students for college, this should be a one-year deal. It is wrong for our schools to put credentials above education. Let the kids learn regardless of requirements for their credentials. Help them prepare for the real world. If they decide to go to college, that is when you can step in with the pursuit of credentials. This would free up twelve years that could be invested in immeasurable education.