While few would argue that there is some truth to Bob Robb’s broad assertion that not all children are meant to attend college (Arizona Republic, January 24), reading the theoretical context upon which his conclusion was based made me very uncomfortable.  
 
Drawing such an inference from Charles Murray’s premise that an individual’s capacity for learning is predetermined, and in some cases limited, by the intelligence of one’s parents and ancestors effectively redirects our 21st century educational efforts back to those of the 19th century.
 
Up until two hundred years ago, the accepted mindset regarding education was that the opportunity to learn beyond basic elementary education (rudimentary reading, writing and math) was reserved only for individuals of a specific pedigree.  Even though the vast majority of our nation’s populace did not fall into this category, the overriding educational philosophy promoted that the “able minded” be trained to advance while the “feeble minded” be left to their subordinate fate as predestined by their inherited limitations.
 
Ultimately, dramatically low levels of literacy in the U.S. led to the abandonment of these ill-conceived, culturally bound tenets of 19th century education and prompted the creation of our public school and public university systems, much to the good fortune of most of us.
 
In the context of Arizona’s modern day educational challenges, Mr. Robb’s conclusion would suggest that the Governor’s P-20 Council efforts to enhance educational attainment by realigning statewide curriculums with the minimum requirements of our universities and workforce is a waste of time and resources.
 
Such thinking ignores the reality that the basic education of yesteryear is largely insufficient to meet the needs of our modern economy.  In Arizona, 85% of projected new jobs will require postsecondary education and work experience, and yet last year, only 43.9% of Arizona’s high school graduates met basic university eligibility requirements.  Given that the fundamental knowledge and skills required for university admission are increasingly parallel with those needed by Arizona employers, we have a critical problem that demands action.

If we want to face facts, we should start by acknowledging that Arizona’s education system is not adequately preparing many of our students, regardless of whether they aspire to obtain any type of postsecondary degree or to enter the workplace directly after high school.  
 
Reports such as From Education to Work: Is Arizona Prepared?  The Alignment Project Report and the Alliance for Excellent Education’s Ready for College Report underscore this point with frightening consistency.
 
We currently require high school students to take only two years of math and science to graduate and allow them the option to drop out of school at age sixteen.  Future college attendance aside, these standards are unacceptable and the Governor’s P-20 Council has recently made the recommendations necessary to raise high school graduation requirements and ensure that our students are graduating with the skills needed to succeed in college or the workforce, effectively restoring value to the high school diploma.
 
If we are going to ensure the future achievement of our children and the economic and social vitality of our state and nation, we must prioritize high school as the minimum level of quality educational attainment that everyone should possess in order to successfully enter postsecondary education or the workplace.
 
We cannot afford to perpetuate a system that makes excuses (such as the IQ argument) or assesses student ability using an antiquated paradigm. There are many individual paths to success, college being one important option, but without a strong, core knowledge of relevant information and skills, none of these opportunities will be available to Arizona’s youth.