Скачать или смотреть State Supt. stresses importance of higher education, as voters question degree's worth

College graduates now make up a record 25% of the total unemployed. With job cuts, rapid technology changes, and skyrocketing tuition, we're asking whether a college degree is still worth it?

For the first time, a majority of American voters polled say 'no.'

We posed the question to State Superintendent Lindel Fields, who's working to pull Oklahoma's public education up from 50th in the nation.

"Yes, 100%, I think it's still worth it," said Fields. "If we're going to attract businesses here, we need more college graduates, more career tech. We need all of the above."

New unemployment data reflects a slowdown in white-collar hiring and rising fears of AI impacting jobs.

"There are still going to be jobs that require human oversight," said Rep. Daniel Pae. "Let's make that point clear."

State lawmakers like Rep. Pae have been eying AI's inevitable, dramatic impact on Oklahomans for years. He wants to see university programs emphasize AI, computer science and coding across all majors and fields of study.

"I think no matter what career path a student is on, learning those skill sets is going to be absolutely critical for their future success," said Rep. Pae.

Critical thinking and leadership skills learned in college, Rep. Pae believes, make the tuition worth it. But that price tag is exploding.

College Board data shows nationally, the average, inflation-adjusted cost of public four-year college tuition for in-state students has doubled since 1995. It's up 75% at private colleges.

Research.com recently looked at 17 institutions of higher learning in Oklahoma, finding the median cost of studying in in the Sooner state is $18,171 a year, while the median alumni salary for Oklahoma graduates sits at $44,732.

Some majors and fields of study are already on the chopping block. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recently voted to terminate 41 degree programs which they deemed "low producing," including 16 degrees at the University of Oklahoma.

Fields recognizes Oklahoma families are potentially questioning whether to encourage their children to pursue careers that may not exist in the future. We asked whether state leaders are considering that when evaluating education and curriculum policies.

"That's fair, right?" Fields said. "You want them to go into something that's going to be viable. Hopefully colleges are evaluating their programs. Career techs too. Are they still viable programs?"

Fields himself took an alternative path in getting his higher education, completing college courses at night. He says Oklahoma has 10-14,000 students graduate high school each year that don't go into career tech or college.

"They flounder for several years, work in minimum wage kind of jobs," he said, stressing the need for more alternative career paths.

"I think it needs to be a thoughtful decision," said Fields. "The traditional 'graduate from high school go to school for 4 years' doesn't work out for most."

Read the story: https://okcfox.com/news/local/state-s...

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