Why go to college? A higher education introduces students to new people and new experiences, and usually leads to a higher salary and lower chance of unemployment. This checklist will tell you how to get ready for college--and how the government will help you pay for it.

Polls dealing with American public education conducted since 1936 are examined, and over 60 items were chosen to illustrate: (1) changes in public opinion since 1960 that might have altered students' evaluations of college attendance or academic excellence, and (2) changes prior to 1960 that might have affected the quality of preparation for…

A parent's perspective on testing and the U.S. educational system and on how today's society values quality and achievement is presented. Uninformed parental expectation and less informed, less dedicated, and less imaginative teaching are seen as resulting in diplomas awarded for attendance, automatic passing of students, and deterioration of…