But few schools give such tests. Thus, parents, seeing that their children work with computers and know a little more math than they themselves did as students, are unaware of the severity of the shortcomings. Parents know that in general American schools are weak, but they think the weakness is in other people's schools. While most parents are satisfied with their kids' elementary and high schools, many view college as a necessity. After all, the wages of high school graduates have fallen over the past 15 years, yet the wages of male college graduates have held steady and those of female college graduates have increased.
Parents conclude that good jobs are now so complex that they all require college preparation.
In reality, employers hire many college graduates for a simpler reason. They know that a high school diploma is no guarantee that an applicant can write or do math, and they know that college students are likely to have mastered those skills in high school. Thus, employers are turning to college graduates as much for basic skills as for what is learned in college. And the public exaggerates the power of college to produce capable workers and underestimates the importance of improving elementary and secondary schools. Congress should work with the states to give parents and employers the information they need through serious national curriculum standards and examinations that certify when a high school graduate has mastered basic skills.