In the article, Ducey: Why Arizona needs more college grads, we are introduced to the governor of Arizona. Yet, he switches the voice/tone of the article to appeal to citizens of Arizona by stating that he wants to talk about education as a husband and father, not an elected official. Therefore, this may expand the audience size that find interest and relate to this article. The purpose of the article is to emphasis the importance of educated people in Arizona and how that will beneficially impact the state (Ducey). Ducey tells the reader about the Arizona60 initiative, which details the state’s plan to have 60% of Arizonians with a college degree or certificate by 2030 (Ducey).
Firstly, Ducey mentions that with a degree or certificate, a person’s opportunity pool increases (Ducey). With that, a person may be able to find a job easier; this would lower the unemployment in Arizona, as well as welfare dependent families (Ducey). I believe that in today’s society a degree, associates or bachelors, is almost a necessity to do anything. With increasing competition and population, employers seek to hire the most qualified person for the position. People that only have a high school diploma are severely limited in the options available to them regarding career paths. Not only that, they make less money than a person that has a degree or certificate (Ducey). As Ducey points out, 2 out of 3 jobs will require some sort of degree by the year 2020, which is coming very quickly (Ducey). It’s not too farfetched to think that number will increase in future years.
Ducey states his plan of action for the Arizona60 initiative: providing an added $142 million to K-12 education and an additional $38 million to universities (Ducey). While this may sound good, he vaguely states what the money will be used for. Ducey says that he looks to provide new resources to educators with a specific goal in mind:
Increasing college readiness, working with employers to identify skills needed for today’s jobs, improving high school graduation rates and making it easier for Arizonans to finish their certificates or college degrees – these are areas that we know will move the needle. (Ducey)
I find this to be lacking details and it leaves the reader with many questions. How is the money being spent going to increase college readiness? Is it change to the education goals and process? How exactly do you improve high school graduation rates? He says in the quote above that he will make it easier to finish college degrees or certificates, but how? By making the material taught less difficult? What are the aspects that make a college degree difficult to obtain? Personally, I think the responsibility falls on the student. The student must have self-discipline, motivation, priority and time management, etc. Money isn’t going to make it easier to earn a college degree, unless the initiative wants to incorporate motivation classes into high school. I don’t see that as part of the plan.
Ducey ends the article stating his goal to make Arizona the best place to live, work and get an education (Ducey). While the intentions of the Arizona60 initiative seem good-natured, I feel that as a citizen of Arizona I am left asking how. Indeed, the more money put into the education system the better. But this doesn’t necessarily address the specific problems that are interwoven within the current education system. For example, a local school district (Dysart) allows students to retake tests an unlimited amount of times to earn a grade they’re satisfied with. How does this policy teach students responsibility for their grades? It doesn’t. In fact, it encourages students to neglect studying entirely, skipping the vital process of learning. Moreover, this puts significant expectations on teachers to remake new tests each time a student wants to retake. The Dysart school district puts quantity over quality. They show high average grades of their students within the district, as if it was an achievement. The truth is, those district grade levels are only achieved due to students being able to countlessly repeat tests and assignments until they’re satisfied. There is no punishment for a lack of studying, besides a temporary, replaceable grade. While I hope the Arizona60 initiative corrects specific issues like this, it will take more introspect than plainly giving more money to the state school system.
Works Cited
Ducey, Doug. “Ducey: Why Arizona Needs More College Grads.” Azcentral, The Republic, 17 Sept. 2016, www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2016/09/17/arizona-needs-more-college-grads-ducey/90363958/.
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