Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
So what percentage of the population would we consider "college material" to start with? Is it 20%? 50%? 80% Some states now have a target which is more than 60% of the population, and I'm not sure that such a thing can truly be justified, myself.

That's part of the debate, it depends on who you ask. In the eyes of many, college material is proportionate with any special interest that wishes to attend rather than what rank / percent one gets on test(s)

For many if not most, it took multiple generations of passing on inheritance / family wealth building / legacy before the first in the family could attend college. Redistribution of that hard eared wealth so that someone who doesn't have a family who did so can have the same opportunities I don't see as the answer nor "fair" To attempt to make opportunities equal we'd have to be unfair.

Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
What differentiates a "college education" from other kinds of education, anyway? Why isn't secondary education doing more to prepare students for work or further advanced study??

That's a very fair question. Right now there seems to be a thought pattern that public K-12 schools have the goal of preparing EVERY student for college.....and we all know that's a load of horse hockey. We don't do anyone justice by pretending that's possible.....and we cheat ourselves and others by the thought pattern. Not everyone even WANTS to go to college. Personally I love working with my hands and OJT was a perfectly acceptable option for my profession. As a society we've tossed options other than college after HS way down the ladder when there are plenty of occupations available without 4 year (or more) college degrees.