Running Head: ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Post-Secondary Education: A Statement on Access

Theresa Bashiri-Remetio
Northern Illinois University

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Preamble
A strong, forward moving, society is built on a foundation of engaged, well-educated
citizenry. As we focus to build a better United States of America, and global society, barriers to
post-secondary education as it relates to socio-economic status, gender or gender identity, race,
ethnicity, religion, (dis)ability, location, and status need to be broken down, overcame, and
forgotten. With the help of technology and global commerce, the borders are becoming more and
more of a blur as the world seems to be shrinking. With these transactional interactions
inevitable, the importance of embracing differences and putting aside biases is of the utmost
importance.
Personal Statement
As we attempt to rethink the American education system, and post-secondary
education, it is imperative that we redefine standards and how we view success. In the book,
Youth Held at the Boarder, Immigration, Education, and the Politics of Inclusion, author Leigh
Patel addresses the issues of government inconsistencies, as well as issues on norms and
standards and how they are could mean different things. Meeting standards by passing
proficiency tests are considered a win on the state level; federal guidelines of adequacy for
public schools require successful completion of high school must be made within four years
(Patel, 2013). The context of the American Dream varies by the dreamer. Knowing this, the
definition of success must also be revisited. As pointed out in the text, the challenges students
with lower socio-economic status face vary largely from those of higher socio-economic status.
Those with lower socio-economic status tend to play a more active role at home, including

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

helping the family make ends meet financially or serving as caretaker to younger siblings (Patel,
2013). With the added pressures of home, completing high school cannot be expected to take
precedence over ones survival. These students may not be able to complete high school within
the four-year-norm, but shouldnt successful completion still be considered success?
Governance and policies need to be in place to provide structure and appropriate
financial support to the educational system but it should not deter students from engaging
in free, out-of-the-box thinking. Education, in general, should be designed to bring out a
students full potential. With programs such as No Child Left Behind, and guidelines and
expectations set around standardized testing, meritocracy has become heavily dependent on the
basis of testocratic merit (Guinier, 2015). As selective post-secondary education institutions
use the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores as a criteria for admission, this government
mandates unintentional consequence has furthered the polarization of race and socio-economic
status, contributing to the vicious cycle of inequality as it relates to access to post-secondary
education. Although I do not contend that test scores can be bought, but as research has shown,
figures released in 2013 showed a positive correlation between family income and SAT scores
with students scoring an average of 1,714 for students who belong to households with incomes of
$200,000 and above, with these households able to devote $30,000-$35,000 to prepare their
students for college (Guinier, 2015). I believe similar programs have been created with the best
of intentions, but at the core, fail to address the more important, underlying issues. An example
of this is President Obamas American College Promise. Although I believe the spirit of this
federally supported program was formed from positive intentions, I struggle with this as a
proposed solution to address the issue of access to post-secondary education. The program is

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

supposed to encourage high school students to work hard and do well in high school so that they
can gain access to a free community college education. What it fails to address is the fact that
many urban public high schools struggle with high dropout rates, students who graduate may not
necessarily have the Grade Point Average (GPA) required to be eligible for the American
College Promise initiative. Students who graduate high school who place in developmental
Math and English will not be eligible for free tuition, a pre-existing barrier it fails to breakdown.
With this particular program, this may have been extended to a population who may not
necessarily need the assistance. One of the biggest barriers to post-secondary education is its
cost. Since the program is open to families with household incomes of up to $250,000, it spreads
the funds thinner instead of strategically concentrating efforts and helping those who need more
help and support.
Post-secondary education should be geared towards student success through
providing flexible programs, catering to a diverse set of interests, in a variety of delivery
methods. Some believe that the obsession with the fields in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math (STEM) fields are detrimental to the holistic notion of education. In the article Why
Americas obsession with STEM education is dangerous, reiterated that the dismissal of broadbased learning, [however,] comes from a fundamental misreading of the facts and puts
America on a dangerously narrow path for the future. Innovation, as a product of education, is
based on the marrying of different perspectives, interests, and the understanding of how
everything is interconnected. STEM courses are important, but by defunding programs outside of
STEM, you limit access to students who have a genuine desire to study fields in English, History,
and the likes.

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

In order for access to be attainable, institutions of post-secondary education should

be sensitive to the needs of the communities it serves. In the book The Tyranny of the
Meritocracy, the author dedicates chapter four to the impact a learning institution can have on
students, and the community it serves. By identifying community issues impacting the
institution, the administration together with the community, worked to improve the
neighborhood, provide a place that fosters learning, and allowed the institution to deliver on their
mission. By changing the way an institution is viewed as it sets out to serve its constituents, from
a client-service provider dynamic to a mutual beneficial relationship, we can build meaningful
relationships through mutual care and trust. By identifying the broader, deeper, and maybe even
seemingly basic issues in a community, and working with the community, for the community,
efforts exerted to increase access consistently supported by those within the community can and
will yield the desired results. (Spade, 2011).
Through collectivism, mentorship, and genuine respect for individuals, including
their opinions, beliefs and differences, these inclusivitys can enhance a students learning
experience and allow them to be open to the thought of accessing and actively pursuing a
post-secondary education. I am a firm believer in the fact that nobody is born with prejudices.
As a young Asian American whose educational journey was, in its majority, through the
Philippine education system, I struggled to grasp the meaning, spirit, and importance of
Affirmative Action and what inclusivity truly meant. It is only when I read an article in the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that addressed access as it pertains to Asian
Americans and Jewish people in comparison to African Americans that it all made sense. The
article pointed out that over the past four centuries, Black history has included nearly 250 years

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

of slavery, 100 years of legalized discrimination, and only 50 years of anything else. Asian
Americans came to America as professionals such as doctors and entrepreneurs so to beg the
comparison would be to deny the historical and social reality African Americans face (Kravitz &
Platania, 1993). With such parallels defined, it is important to be conscious of our personal
histories and experiences. It is only then that we can realize what privileges we have; but more
importantly the privileges that others do not. Claims have been made that students from
underrepresented populations who are able to gain access to selective institutions are less likely
to succeed in a post-secondary institution; this is nothing more than a stereotype and unfounded
myth (Kidder & Lempert, 2014). Although research has proven time and time again that those of
underrepresented populations can be just as successful, it is important to recognize that the
underlying foundations of these myths are rooted in racism and beliefs of racial inequality. In a
society that has become very much individualistic, it is important that everyone must realize that
only through working together can we improve the society we actively participate in. As
educators and representatives of post-secondary education serving liaisons to education, we must
not forget to set aside biases and predispositions we may have.
As I aspire to find my place in society through a career I aim to build in higher education,
it is my hope that social justice be at the forefront, that access be my goal, and that student
successes, no matter how big or small, be celebrated. Education should be accessible to all who
want to access it. Although the current system may be flawed, we must acknowledge that nothing
in the world is permanent other than change. We must all do our part in making society,
education, and our tomorrows what we want it to be; a product of our collective efforts that we
can all be proud of.

ACCESS TO POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

References

Dash, S. (2015, March 4). A Guide to Obama's Free Community College Plan. Retrieved July 25,
2015, from http://goo.gl/bRhKUv
Guinier, L. (2015). The tyranny of the meritocracy: Democratizing higher education in America.
Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Kidder, W. C., & Lempert, R. (2014, May 1). The Mismatch Myth in American Higher
Education: A Synthesis of Empirical Evidence at the Law School and Undergraduate
Levels. July 25, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2431746
Kravitz, D. A., & Platania, J. (1993). Attitudes and beliefs about affirmative action: Effects of
target and of respondent sex and ethnicity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(6), 928938. doi:10.1037//0021-9010.78.6.928
Patel, L. (. (2012). Youth held at the border: Immigration, education, and the politics of
inclusion. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Spade, D. (2011). Normal life: Administrative violence, critical trans politics, and the limits of
law. Brooklyn, NY: South End Press.
Zakaria, F. (2015, March 26). Why America's obsession with STEM education is dangerous.
Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-ussuccessful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html