Quotes: Unemployment As "An Educational Crisis"

Underemployment of parents is not only an economic crisis — it is an educational crisis. You cannot ignore it and be good educators. -- EPI's Richard Rothstein, speaking to Loyola Chicago University graduates 

Comments

[Sarah]

I don’t think you can necessarily attribute unemployment to poor education. It is a factor? Yes. But the unemployment spike caused by the recent recession wasn’t a product of one year, suddenly, people deciding not to learn. It was entirely economic, entirely poor monetary choice. Skills are one thing, certainly, but I think economic influence has far more impact when it comes to unemployment.

[Angie]

This is a serious crisis. Educational officials now realize the importance of educating all children. When an educational crisis hits, poor and minority families are faced with the greatest challenges. More people are poor today than they were years ago, and some people can't afford to return to college. There is indeed a connection between education and unemployment, but this economic crisis has impacted everyone.

[Dale]

The need for higher education should remain a priority for all people, but unfortunately that is not always the case. The opposite end of the spectrum is the education of our children graduating with four year degress, $100,000 in debt and working at TGI Fridays. The issues of unemployment and undereducation is much broader than we can imagine.