Then how are they going to keep their professors employed?
You are right! There has got to be a point where they have to put a hold on it UNTIL all the graduates of the last 2 years are employed. Rebel1
Because colleges aren't in the employment business, they're in the education business.
Besides, you may very well go to college in one place, then find a teaching job in another.
And some of those graduates may never find a teaching job; they simply may have made a poor career choice.
People who entered teacher education programs in 2007 had no way of knowing that the economy would tank in 2008. Likewise, we have no way of knowing how long it will be until things improve.
Should colleges close their doors completely until all fields open up? Take a look at recent accounting and business majors; things have been rough there too. I have a number of friends who worked in and around Wall Street who have been out of work for a while; this phenemenon isn't limited to teaching.
In this part of the country at least, education has been a brutal job market for at least 40 years. Anyone around here who didn't know it simply wasn't paying attention.
My university cut more people from the teacher ed program than they let in. One mistake and you were out. One bad grade and you were out, even if you tried to retake the class. I used to think that was really awful of them until I saw what the market was really like, and now I get it. They were actually doing those people a favor. I grew up in a family of teachers, so of course I "knew" what the market was like- but it was different actually experiencing trying to get a job in it! I was dual certified and had also minored in Spanish, so I thought that alone would put me above other candidates. Little did I know that thousands of other grads were dual-certified too. A job in my hometown opened up where the person had to be gen ed elementary certified and special ed certified. The job was never even posted- I found out about it from a friend's mom, walked my resume in, and got an interview. Turns out, they had over 60 people apply, in a tiny, tiny town for a job that required a very specific certification and one that was never posted/published- that was all through word of mouth! I think colleges need to take more responsibility for a)making sure the people they're graduating are employable, and b) helping those people find jobs. My school did a great job with having a rigorous program, but there weren't really any "career services" to help us look for jobs. We never learned how to write a cover letter or a good resume, about places to search, we never did mock interviews, etc.
They've been threatening to cut admission into our credential program for years. But that's because of state budget cuts, not the lack of jobs in education.
Many popular medical programs have limits...I don't think it's because they don't have enough professors/resources but because the fields are that competitive. Seems reasonable to me to do something similar with education. But, really, I just think more teaching programs should have tougher requirements to be admitted. It's amazing what the ones I am aware of accept.
Not the most promising sounding lawsuit. The plaintiff is representing herself (you know what they say about that) and sounds like a spoiled, petulant child who's having trouble with the reality of the economic climate in which many are facing struggles.
If a college recruits students by featuring a department which works to place graduates, then should most certainly work to make that happen and there should be evidence of their efforts. But, come on...there are no guarantees. If the school hosts job fairs, offers to help with building resumes, has mock interviews...I mean, really, they are trying.
