In recent years many states have decided or received court orders to revise school financing to reduce such inequalities. Beyond a certain level of facilities and staffing, additional school funding may be unnecessary. Many schools are operating far below this level. More than half of all freshmen fail to complete a degree within five years, while dropout rates in other countries are much lower. Possibly no more than half the high school graduates can read well enough to do college work.
Many trade schools admit students regardless of their ability or preparation.
Some of these trade schools provide only a poor pretense of a training program. Many accredited colleges and universities resist admissions testing because it would reduce tuition income. Most dropouts should be viewed not as a problem, but as a symptom of failure in the school, the home, and the community. Over half the dropouts do eventually return to school. The educational system in every country likely shows an ethnocentric preoccupation with its own cultural heritage.