Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 144
•
Trim: 6 x 8½
978-1-4758-4753-6 • Hardback • February 2019 • $36.00 • (£28.00)
978-1-4758-5299-8 • Paperback • July 2019 • $21.00 • (£15.99)
978-1-4758-4755-0 • eBook • February 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.99)
Mitch Pearlstein is a Senior Fellow with Center of the American Experiment, a think tank he founded in Minnesota in 1990, and for which he served as president for nearly 25 years. His previous books include Riding into the Sunrise: Al Quie and a Life of Faith, Service, and Civility; From Family Collapse to America’s Decline: The Educational, Economic, and Social Costs of Family Fragmentation; and Broken Bonds: What Family Fragmentation Means for America’s Future.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Four-Year College Bias
Chapter 2: Underemployed Paths to Great Jobs
Chapter 3: The Growing Power of Debt
Chapter 4: Potential Economic Detours
Chapter 5: Potential Social Detours
Chapter 6: The Art of Craft
Chapter 7: Conclusion
Index
About the Author
Mitch Pearlstein is correct, a four-year college isn’t for everyone. Every parent who thinks that’s’ true for other people’s kids, but not their own, should read this critically important book. Pearlstein’s data-driven examination shows why current norms and notions that nearly everyone should go to college are recipes for disappointment for millions and serious impediments to economic growth.
— Randy Ahlm, CEO, Imperial Plastics, Inc.
Mitch Pearlstein knows how to make a convincing case. This time it is about why we should expose more young Americans to the many educational opportunities and career pathways that exist outside of the traditional four-year college route.
— Robert Doar, former commissioner for human services in both New York City and New York State
It’s a miracle that such an important book is also such a joy to read. It is the key to improving millions of lives, financially and in terms of self-respect, and to strengthening our country as well. Pearlstein sees a major crisis that has been overlooked for far too long. And he tells us, wisely, how to overcome it. His message is brilliant—and urgent.
— David Lebedoff, author, "The Uncivil War"; founder, SwanStaff, a company helping those without four-year-degrees to achieve highly rewarding careers
Mitch Pearlstein is on to something very important: college education is not for everyone--but everyone should enter adulthood with a skill that can earn them a decent income, and help them support a family. If we are serious about making America into a country of prosperity for all, we need to give a serious listen to what Mitch has to say.
— Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute
Mitch Pearlstein has penned a timely and very useful book about why many now find college to be more obstacle than opportunity. Notably, in an era when many are quick to demonize higher education or rush to its defense, he manages to do neither. Instead, he thoughtfully examines the landscape, suggest practical options, and sketches a promising path forward.
— Frederick Hess, author of Letters to a Young Education Reformer; director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute