The Globe reports that many Massachusetts high school graduates are going on to take remedial classes in college, which may be contributing to high college dropout rates. These assertions are based on a multiyear study from the Massachusetts Department of Education. The study followed nearly 20,000 students who graduated from Massachusetts high schools and went on to study at public colleges and universities in the state. Out of all the Massachusetts high schools surveyed, 27 saw over 60% of their students enroll in remedial courses in college. Overall, 37% of students in the study took at least one remedial college course.

Stats at Bunker Hill Community College in particular are pretty dismal. The Globe says:

Almost 90 percent of Bunker Hill students end up taking remedial math, and 63 percent take remedial English... Only 20 percent of students complete their remedial work within two years.

We don't think half of one's college career should be spent on remedial work. This study definitely raises a multitude of questions. What's the point of going to college if you're not prepared? Or, perhaps more to the point: what's the point of high school, anyway? To prepare students for college? For the work force? For professional sports? For something else entirely? Universal Hub commenters bring up some good points: high schools can't necessarily prepare all of their students for college, and not everyone has to go to college--but colleges are perfectly willing to accept tuition payments from underprepared students.

So what do you think, Bostonists? Should high schools be doing a better job of preparing students for college? What are some ways schools could do this? And should colleges accept students who need lots of remedial coursework?

Image from Flickr user Scuba Steveo