Something Is Desperately Wrong In America!

Have you seen the following statistics?

30% = number of students dropping out of high school in the US.
40% = number of college students who have to take at least one remedial course in college.
50% = number of college students who never complete a degree.
66% = number of high school honor students who fall behind in college.

Last Friday, Channel One News (a news broadcast for students) addressed the high college drop-out rate. They cite a “lack of study skills” as one of the main problems. According to Dr. Sandra McGuire, Associate Dean from Louisiana State University, students “don’t have study skills (and) learning strategies, typically. And, unfortunately, many students give up when they encounter difficulty.”

Last week, the federal government allocated $20 million in grants to address this issue. You can see the 4-minute video clip from Channel One here:


Common sense tells us that teaching students HOW to learn is extremely beneficial, but there is empirical evidence to back this up. In 2009, Ohio State University published results from a study they conducted on the effectiveness of teaching study skills. Their conclusions:

45% = the increased likelihood that “struggling” high school students will graduate from college if they take a study skills class.

600% = the increased likelihood that “average” high school students will graduate from college if they take a study skills class.

…Imagine the difference “study skills” would make for students who could learn them BEFORE college? If study skills can have such a dramatic influence on students AFTER they have struggled through middle school and high school, why not teach them IN middle school and high school?

I am happy to see Channel One bring more attention to this issue. I hope you enjoy the video!

Study Skills Resources

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*References for all statistics listed in this article are available here.

-Susan Kruger

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