#425: Saying No to College

Join us this month to discuss Paul Tough’s outstanding article on the value of college

Happy New Year, loyal readers. I’m excited to announce that this month, we’ll be reading and discussing “Saying No to College” by Paul Tough.

It’s a great piece, especially if you’re an educator, parent, or teenager. Published in The New York Times Magazine last September, the article explores two big questions:

• Why are Americans losing faith in the value of college?

• What will happen to our country if this downward trend continues?

Mr. Tough writes:

For the nation’s more affluent families (and their children), the rules of the higher education game are clear, and the benefits are almost always worth the cost. For everyone else, the rules seem increasingly opaque, the benefits are increasingly uncertain and the thought of just giving up without playing seems more appealing all the time.

There are many reasons I loved this article. One is that this is my 28th year in education (wow, oh my), and up until recently, I’ve been unabashedly pro-college. My advice to students was simple and direct: Go to the best college you can get into, and you’ll figure out the finances down the road. But a few years back, I realized that this simplistic message was, for many students, lacking in nuance and potentially harmful. It was certainly informed by my own privilege, college experience, and life trajectory. Reading this article helped me understand how I can better guide my students when they’re considering their next steps after high school. (Step #1: Listen.)

Another reason I loved this article is that I’m a huge fan of Mr. Tough. He understands education, he knows how to write clearly, and he’s thoughtful and compassionate. I’m proud to say that he’s our first returning writer at Article Club! He was great back in February 2020, when we were launching this experiment in community reading. I’m deeply honored he’s back, generously participating again.

I’d love it if you read the article and joined our discussion on January 28. If you’re interested, this is how things will go:

• This week, we’ll read the article

• Next week, we’ll annotate the article as a group and share our first impressions

• The following week, we’ll hear from Mr. Tough in a podcast interview

• On Sunday, January 28, 2:00 - 3:30 pm PT, we’ll discuss the article on Zoom

If this will be your first time participating in Article Club, I’m 100% sure you’ll find that you’ll feel welcome. We’re a kind, thoughtful reading community. Feel free to reach out with all of your questions.

Also exciting, as with all Article Club monthly selections, the author will be participating in the festivities, recording a podcast episode for your listening pleasure.

Mr. Tough is the author of The Inequality Machine: How College Divides Us. His three previous books include How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, Mr. Tough’s writing has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, GQ, and Esquire, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times. He has worked as an editor at the New York Times Magazine and Harper’s Magazine and as a reporter and producer for the public-radio program This American Life. He lives with his wife and two sons in Austin.

So what do you think? Interested in reading the article and joining our discussion this month? Hope so! If you’re still a maybe, here are a few questions for you. If you’re a yes to one or more of them, you‘re a great candidate.

• Are you an educator who no longer knows how to give college advice to your students?

• Are you a parent questioning how best to guide your kid’s next steps?

• Did you go to college and you’re still paying off your student loans?

Thank you for reading this week’s issue. Hope you liked it. 😀

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