EducationInflation:HowtoManagetheExpectations

ofaSpecializedWorld
PostDeliberationReport

Overview:TheIssue
Throughouthumanhistory,educationhasbeenoneofthemostcovetedbenefitsthe
humanracehasbeenabletogiveitself.Forcenturies,educationhasbeenawaythatwecould
elevateourselvesbeyondthelimitsofourcurrentsituations.Assuch,itwastreatedwithrespect
andsomethingtobecoveted.Manyofushavegrownuphearingabouthowimportantour
educationwas,notonlytoourpersonalwellbeing,butalsoinregardstohowothersviewedus,
aswellastotheimpactwecouldmakeupontheworldandthelivesofthosearoundus.Forthis
reason,manypeopleseeitasamilestone,amarkerwithinoneslifeservingtofacilitatethe
establishmentoftheirownplaceintheworld.However,thisviewisnotwithoutitsown
problems.Withinrecentyears,educationhasbecomeamoreconsistentandimportantpartof
theconceptionbehindandenactmentoftheAmericanDreamtheideathatwithhardwork
anyonecanprosperandbesuccessfulwithintheirchosenfields.

Now,withmoresecondandthirdgenerationstudentsheadingtocollegethanever

before,morestudentsarefeelingmorepressuredtoattendcollege,inordertoachievethisgoal
andobtainthecredentialsnecessarytobeconsideredwithinthejobmarket.Inmostinstances,
thismeansreceivingatleastaBachelorsdegreeatatraditionalfouryearinstitution.However,
itisbecomingincreasinglycommonthatemployersareexpectingtheirapplicantstoreceive
morethanjustafouryeardegreetobeacompetitiveasset.ArecentarticleinTheWashington
PostunderlinedthefactthatAcollegedegreeisbecomingthenewhighschooldiploma:the
minimumcredentialrequiredtogeteventhemostbasic,entryleveljob.(1).Anotherarticle,

fromCareerBuilder,demonstratedthat3in10companiesarehiringmorecollegeeducated
workersforjobsprimarilyheldbyhighschoolgradswithoneinfiveemployersnowtargeting
Mastersdegreeholdersforpositionspreviouslyheldbythosewithfouryeardegrees,anda
thirdsendingcurrentemployeesbacktoschoolforanadvanceddegree."(2).Inturn,this
demandforadditionalschoolingcausesissuesregardinganindividualsandsocietysabilityto
managetheexpectationsofanincreasinglyspecializedworld,especiallyintermsofthe
increasedcompetitionbetweenindividualsduringthejobapplicationprocess.Withtheadventof
advancedtechnology,andthereforemoretechnicaljobsbeingplacedonthemarket,
increasinglydiverseskillsetshavebecomeapreciousresourceforemployerswhowishto
advancetheirownbusinesses.Thiswayofthinking,andtheresultingfocusuponcollegiate
degrees,hasbeguntopropagatetheconceptthatinordertobesuccessful,schoolingincluding,
andevenpast,thetraditionalfouryeardegreeisanecessitythuscontributingtothemodern
phenomenon,andwidespreadissue,referredtoasEducationInflation.

Thegreaterdemandandexpectationtoattendcollegeresultingfromthisphenomenon,

notonlyleveesanincreasedfinancialburdenonfamilies,butalsoservestocreateandexpand
theriftbetweenthoseabletoaffordastandardcollegetuitionandthoseunabletodoso,
broadeningthegapbetweensocialclassesintheprocess.AnotherissuerelatedtoEducation
inflationrevolvesaroundtheincreasingstudentdropoutratesasmorestudentsarebeing
pressuredintoattendingcollegeeveniftheydonotinitiallybelieveatraditionalfouryear
institutiontobetherightfitforthem.

Concernssuchasfearoverthepossibilityofreceivinganadequateeducation,howto

relieveonesfinancialburdentakenonthroughattendingcollege,andissuesregardingthe
valueoftheeducationforeachapplicantarefurtherexasperatedthroughmanyattendinginthe
hopesofsecuringajobofferbygraduationandhavebeenbroughtupbyconcernedcitizens

whoareaffectedbyEducationInflationwithinconversation.Theseconcernsgiveriseto
questionssuchasiscollegeafundamentalright,orisitsomethingtobeearnedforeach
individual,andwhatshouldthecriteriabeforemploymentifthecurrentstrongemphasisupon
traditionaldegreesisnolongerenough?Inaddition,issuesregardinghowmuchanemployer
shouldbeabletodemandoftheirapplicantsandemployeesarisefromthewidespread
commonalityofthecollegiatedegreeandtheknowledgewhichisassumedtoaccompanyit.
Eachoftheseconcernsandquestionsspokeofasetoftheinterestheldbythepopulaceregard
totheissueofEducationInflationandtheirconcernoveritsprominencewithinoursociety.

Inordertosolvethisdilemma,andreducethewidespreadnegativeeffectsitishaving

uponoursociety,therearethreepossibleapproacheswhichmaybetakenintoconsideration.
Approachoneinvolvesalteringfinancialaidtorepresentamoreneedbasedsystemratherthan
focusingprimarilyuponmeritorethnicitytoawardaid.Approachtwonecessitatesincreasing
thepopularityandfundingofcommunitycollegesandvocationalschoolswhilealsoworkingto
decreasethestigmaassociatedwiththemwhichisheldthroughoutAmericansociety.While
approachthreedealswithalteringwhatemployerssearchforinemployees,throughplacing
lessimportanceuponwhichschooltheapplicantattendedandplacingmoreemphasisuponthe
skillsacquiredbytheindividual.Inapplyingportionsoftheseapproaches,wehopetobeableto
moveforwardinreducingthenegativeeffectsassociatedwithEducationInflationwithinthe
skilledandglobalworkenvironmentwhichwemustnownavigate.

ApproachOne:IncreasingtheavailabilityofNeedBasedFinancialAid
WithintheEducationInflationGroup,ourapproachdealtwithincreasingtheavailabilityof
needbasedscholarships.Risingcollegetuitionsmakehighereducationunattainablefor

prospectivestudentsinlowincomehouseholds.Ourmainquestionswere:shouldmoremoney
gotostudentswhoshowtheyarebestqualifiedforcollege,regardlessoftheirabilitytopay?Or
shouldmoneygototheneedieststudents,whomightnotbeabletoattendschoolatallwithout
additionalfinancialassistance?Ratherthancontinuingtoawardscholarshipstoanyone
qualifiedstudent,wecouldchangetheprerequisitesneededforareceivingascholarshipto
incorporateneedaswell.Perhapsputtinganincomecaponcertainscholarshipscouldhelp
ensurethataidisgoingtostudentswhotrulyneeditinordertoattendcollege.
Ourdeliberationpresentedmanydifferingpointsofview,eachofwhichhelpedreshape
theargumentpresentedbyourapproach.Oneoverarchingthemeofthedeliberationwas
whethereveryoneshouldbegoingtocollegeinthefirstplace.Thequestionofwhethercollege
oughttobeafundamentalrightwasalsoraised.Itwasnotedthatmaybecollegeisntmeantfor
everyone.Byusingtheproposedmethodofreallocatingscholarshipfunds,onedeliberation
participantstatedthatmanystudentswillbeattendingcollegethatwouldnthaveinthefirst
place.Perhapsscholarshipsareoverincentivizingcollege,whenrealisticallyfewerpeople
shouldbeattendingcollegeinthefirstplace.Now,ifstudentsaregoingtocollegethatoriginally
mightnothave,therewillbeasurplusofcollegegraduatesenteringtheworkforce,effectively
devaluingthebachelorsdegree.Thismeansemployerscanandwilldemandevenhigherlevel
degrees,suchasmastersanddoctorates,whenconsideringprospectiveemployees.Students
willbespendingmoremoneygoingtomoreyearsofschooling,thusfuelingtheissueof
educationinflationasawhole.
WewereveryfortunatethatthedeanoftheSchreyersHonorsCollege,Dr.ChristianM.
Brady,attendedourdeliberation.Hewasveryknowledgeableonthetopicofeducationinflation
andwasdefinitelyoneofthemorevocaldeliberators,tosaytheleast.Hearguedthata
significantportionofscholarshipmoneyalreadygoestowardsneedbasedscholarshipsalong

withmeritbasedprerequisites.Hesaidthatbyshiftingsomuchmoneyfrommeritbasedto
purelyneedbasedscholarshipsmightcauseanissueforstudentsinthemiddleincomerange.
Initiallywethoughtthatanincomecaponmeritbasedscholarshipswouldbeaviablepolicy
recommendationforincreasingtheavailabilityofhighereducation.However,Dr.Brady
suggestedthatthisapproachwillunintentionallyexcludestudentswhosefamilyincomeis
greaterthantheproposedincomecapyetlessthanwhatisrequiredtoaffordcollege.Italso
doesnotseemfairforallthestudentswhoworkedtirelesslyinhighschooltoperformatthe
highestlevel,butwillnolongerbeawardedfortheirsuccessbecauseoftheirmorefortunate
socioeconomicstatus.Meritbasedscholarshipsarenecessaryforstudentssothatthey
maintainahighworkethicbeginninginhighschoolandcontinuingthroughoutlife.Shiftingsuch
sumsofmoneywouldultimatelynotbebeneficial.Also,agreatdealofmoneygoesintoyielding
suchasmallamountofscholarshipmoney.Thedeanpointedoutthatitisalmostimpossibleto
softentheneedbasedcriteria.Theresimplyisnotenoughscholarshipmoneyforeverystudent
andthatsimplyisnotthepointofscholarshipmoney.Additionally,wealreadyfocussomuch
onthecriteriarequiredforreceivingscholarshipsinthefirstplace.Disappointingasitmaybe,
therereallyisnotmuchmoretolookat.Hislastpointreallychallengedourapproachandleftus
withmorequestionsthananswers.Heasked,Issocietysetupcorrectlytomanageeducation
inflation?Whiletheconversationatthispointdeviatedfromeconomicstophilosophy,itserved
asagreattransitiontothefollowingtwoapproaches.
Theoutcomeofourdeliberationwassomewhatunsatisfying,forweessentiallyconcluded
thattheapproach,atitscore,wasflawed.Wecametotheunderstandingthatscholarshipsplay
aninsignificantroleinincreasingtheavailabilityofhighereducationcomparedtootherformsof
financialaid.Aspreviouslymentioned,ourinitialpolicyrecommendationofanincomecapwas
determinedtobeineffectivebythedeliberators,sodidwemakenoprogressfromthisportionof

thedeliberation?Thepointofadeliberationisnottosimplyreconfirmaproposedopinionor
idea,butalsotofindtheflawsinagivenargumentand,ifnecessary,deemtheapproachviable.
Thisisthebeautifulthingaboutdeliberatingwithanopenmindoneallowstheirprejudicesand
opinionstobechallengedandperhapsevenchanged.
InregardstoApproachOne
Statements
Toomuch
financialaidis
beginningto
makecollege
unaffordable

Strongly
Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Oppose

Strongly
Oppose

Not
Sure

0%

41.7%

41.7%

0%

16.7%

Scholarships
shouldbebetter
dispersed
betweenstudents
fulfillingboth
meritandneed
based
requirements.

16.7%

33.3%

33.3%

8.3%

8.3%

Reevaluating
scholarshipswill
eliminatesomeof
thefinancial
tension
associatedwith
attendingcollege.

16.7%

33.3%

25%

8.3%

16.7%

ApproachTwo:IncreasingavailabilityofVocationalSchoolsandCommunityCollege
The idea that most high school students in America are expected to go to college after
they graduate from high schoolis arelatively recentone.However,therearemanystudents out
there who feel like maybe college isnt for them, but feel obligated to still attend due to the

negative stigma surrounding the idea of not attending college.

The goal of this approach is to
increase the visibility of vocational schools and community colleges to decrease the education
inflation and to give those students a chance at abetterlife.To achievethisgoal,theapproach
suggests to increase tax rates through sales, income, or property taxes on a local and state
level. The reasoning behind the proposed increased taxes is to fund these educational
programs, such as career fairs, information sessions, and school visits. These will allow
students to have a more realistic and clear view of VoTech schools and community colleges.
They would be able to understand better the opportunities available to them, thus decreasing
thenegativestigmasurroundingtheseprograms.
The topics discussed during the deliberation introducedseveralpotentialissueswiththe
approach. Most of these issues were concerning the stigma of being a Vo Tech or community
college student and graduate. There is this idea that goingtoavocationalschoolorcommunity
college makes a person less smartandcapablethanapersongoingtoa4yearuniversity.This
approach hopes to clarify thattheeducationatavocationalschoolorcommunity collegecanbe
as valuable as an education at a university with school visits. A young student brought up that
when she was in high school, her school took hertovisitavocationalschool.Oncefacingwhat
a vocational school was really like, the stigma around it decreased as people saw that it was
just like a university but specializing in technical jobs. A fear brought up duringthedeliberation
was that employerswouldpicksomeonewithabachelorsdegreefor ajobthatrequireseithera
degree from a vocational school or an associates fromacommunitycollege.However,thereis
research that states that women and men who earned a longterm degree on average make
$6,100 and $2,963 per year, respectively. Women and men who earned anassociate'sdegree
make $4,200 and $3,668 more,respectivelythusthemyththatcommunitycollegestudentswill
earnlessthanuniversitystudentsiswrong.

Another issue that was brought up was the norm of going to college. Moststudentsare
second or third generation going to university or planning on going to university. Parents and
counselors have been telling these students that if they want to be successfulinlife,theymust
go to college. Asoneofthepeoplewhoattendedthe deliberationsaiditshardto breakanorm
like this. It has been goingonfor agoodenoughtime,thatyoucantjuststopit.Itslikedrinking
in college. The university and everyone knows there is underage drinking happening, as much
as we try to stop it, it will still happen. It has become a norm for students to start or continue
drinkingincollege.However,thisapproachwillbeableto breakthisnormwithtime.Itwillfocus
on the high school juniors and seniors it will show themthatthereismoreouttherethangoing
to university. Once they have understood that, eveniftheychoosetogotouniversity,andonce
they become a parent, they will not force their children to gotouniversity,butwillinsteadshow
them all of the opportunities they have in life that their childrencangotoavocationalschoolor
communitycollegeorauniversityiftheywant,asitistheirchoice.
With time, this approach could be successful. However, the approach can only work if
people are willing to pay more taxes as it will come out of peoples income and raise prices.
Even if people are willing to pay these taxes, an increase of tax could cause issues in the
economy and increase unemployment. With an increase of salestax,thepricesofproducts will
increase. The increase in price will decrease the demand of the good or service, thus
decreasing the profit made by the company. The company will have to let people go and, in
return,increaseunemployment.
To reiterate, the goal of this approach is to increase the presence of vocationalschools
and community colleges and introduce them in the answer of high school students question
Whats my next step after graduation?. In order to do that, this approach would increase
sales,propertyand incometaxestofund theofficeofCareer,Technical,andAdultEducationon

the U.S. Department of Education.

These educationalprograms andgrantsareusedinorderto
raise awareness and educate students who could be interested in doing this later on. Some of
these programs include College and Career Transitions Initiative, TechPrep Demonstration
Program, and others. These programs would be used in order to develop the skills of students
whoelecttoenrollineithercommunitycollegeortechschools.

InregardstoApproachTwo:
Statements
Studentsare
beingpressured
toattend
universities,
eventhough
theymaynot
wanttofollow
thispath.
Weshould
educatehigh

Strongly
Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Oppose

Strongly
Oppose

Not
Sure

58.3%

41.7%

0%

0%

0%

schoolstudents
onthebenefits
ofattending
vocational
schools,
especiallyfor
thosestudents
whofeelcollege
isnotrightfor
them.

83.3%

16.7%

0%

0%

0%

TheU.S.and
Stateeducation
departments
shouldincrease
fundingto
vocationalhigh
schools.

25%

41.7%

25%

0%

8.3%

ApproachThree:ShiftingEmployersFocusfromDegreestoGrit
ApproachThreediscussesthephenomenonofstudentsseekingmoreandmore
educationbecauseofthebeliefthathighereducationmakesapersonappearmorequalifiedto
employers.Whilethisbeliefmayinfactbetrue,educationisonlyonemeasureofapersons
possiblecapabilitiesintheworkforce.Thisapproachsuggestspossiblehiringavenuesfor
employeestotakewhendecidingontheirfutureemployees.
Throughoutthesessionitbecameapparentthatthereweremoretensionsthancommon
groundfoundamongstthoseinattendance.Thefacultymembersandotheradultsin
attendancehadadifferentperspectivethanthestudentsonthisapproachduringthe
discussion.Itseemedthatthestudentsfeltthattheapproachathandaddressedarealfearthat
manystudentspossess,thatdegreesareanecessitytoachieveinlife,whiletheadultstended
tofeelthattheapproachfellshortingettingtotherootoftheproblem.

Themainquestionpresentinthedeliberationpertainedtotheabilitytoconvince
employersthathiringbasedongritordesireablecharacteristicswouldbeintheirbestinterest.
WhiletheGooglemodelofhiringhasworkedforGoogle,forothercompanies,itmaybe
impossibletoswaythemfromthehiringmodeltheyvealwaysused,usingGPAs,grades,and
degrees,ifthismodelhasalwaysworkedforthem.ApointwasbroughtupthatGPAsand
gradesarenotalwaysgoodindicatorsofproficiencyduetooutsidefactors.Incomprehensionof
lecturesandtestmaterialsduetoinsufficientproficiencyofEnglishdoesntnecessarilymean
thatthestudentisntcapable.Someareoftenleftbehindbythesystem,andwhiletheyknow
andunderstandthematerial,areunabletoperformwellontestsduetothislanguagebarrier.To
some,theirGPAdoesntcorrespondtoreality.Thisfearwasechoedbyoneparticipant,who
saidtheyfeelasifweareourGPA.Atonepointintheconversation,athoughtwas
addressed,sayingthatgritandlifeexperiencecantypicallybegraspedfromacoverletter.
Mostemployersglanceoveraresumeinlessthanaminute.Moreoftenthannot,thecover
letteriscompletelydisregarded.Thequestionwasthenasked:shouldemployersplacemore
valueonagoodcoverletter?Thisledtopointofcontentionforsome,astheycharacterizedthe
downfallofthisapproachtobetheunquantifiablemeasureofgrit.However,othersspeculated
thatperhapsthisissuecouldbesimplysolvedwithameasurethatlookslikeaGPA.Inother
words,auniformtestorotherquantifyingmeasurewouldbeusedtodeterminegrit.Some
believedthatGPAsanddegreesshouldbesquareoneinthehiringprocess,thatweshould
beginwiththosemeasures,andthenlookatgrit,possiblyinameasurableformat.Others
pointedoutthatthiswouldbringusbacktotheproblemathand,thatnomatterwhat,everything
willcomesecondarytoadegree.
Itbecameclearthattherewereseveralpointsinwhicheveryonewasinagreement.With
thewayhiringandeducationworkstoday,abachelordegreeistheminimumofeducationthat

studentsshouldlookintoachieving.Thegroupagreedthatbachelorsdegreesarentworthless,
andcanbeusedasawaytogaingrit,experience,andimportantcharacteristicsofapotential
employee.Theyalsoagreedthatitisoftenexpectedofstudentstogetasmanydegreesas
theycan.Thisemphasisontheamountofeducationornumberofdegreesastudenthasmay
sendstudentsintoaninordinateamountofdebt.Therewasalsoanagreementonthenotion
thatoftentimesstudentsgetdegreesbecausetheyfeelthatitswhattheyhavetodo,anddont
giveanythoughtastowhytheyaregoingtocollegeorifcollegeisreallyrightforthem.Asa
result,studentsarethrustintocareersthatdontpertaintotheirmajor,orarestuckinjobsthat
dontpertaintotheirtrueinterests.Thegroupalsoagreedthatthereisaclearfearthatstudents
willnotgethiredbasedonthatmajor,andwilltakeanyjobthatcomestheirway.
Afterwitnessingthediscussionsgeneratedbythedeliberation,thisapproach
recommendsthatresearchshouldbedonetodeterminethewillingnessandthepotentialof
incorporatingnewhiringprocesses.Thisresearchcandetermineawaytomakeemployers
comfortablewithhiringpeoplewithagreaterrespecttothingslikegritandpotential,evenwhen
thesethingsappeartobeunquantifiable.
InregardstoApproachThree:
Statements
Employers
aretoo
focusedon
theamountof
educationan
individualhas,
ratherthan
theattributes
theycanbring
tothe
company?
Companies

Strongly
Agree

Somewhat
Agree

Somewhat
Oppose

Strongly
Oppose

Not
Sure

25%

41.7%

16.7%

8.3%

8.3%

should
implement
new
innovationsin
hiring
methodsto
deterfrom
hiringbased
offof
education
levelsalone.

25%

41.7%

16.7%

8.3%

8.3%

Relyingsolely
onsomeones
degreedoes
notgivean
accurate
depictionof
theirtruework
ethic.

58.3%

41.7%

0%

0%

0%

Conclusion:PointsofCommonGround,Tension,andPolicyRecommendations
Attheendofthedeliberation,therewereafewpointsofcommongroundhowever,
muchofthediscussionshiftedmoretowardtheaspectoftensionsamongthegroup.
Participantsagreedthatintodaysworld,itisseenasimperativetoobtainatleastabachelors
degreeinordertoattainasuccessfuljobinonesintendedfield.Similarly,theparticipants
agreedonthefactthatamajorissuethatisfacedinregardstotheideaofeducationinflation
revolvesaroundchangingculture,whicheachparticipantstatedwouldbeverydifficulttodo.
Therewasstillalotleftopentointerpretationbytheconclusionofthedeliberation,butafter
reviewingthepostdeliberationquestionnairesaswellasthetopicscoveredineachapproachs
discussion,thereareinevitablymanyareasinwhichthegroupdidnotreachaconsensusin
beliefsandopinions.

Someofthemaintensionsbetweentheparticipantsbeganintheopeningsofthe
deliberationwhileothersappearedfurtheroninlaterapproachesandindepthconversation.
Regardless,thesetensionsultimatelypersistedonceraised,carryingthebreadthofremaining
conversation.Amajortensionthataffectedthecruxofdeliberationdevelopedearlyonin
approach1whendiscussingwhetherornottoomuchfinancialaidisbeinggiventocollege
studentsandhowthatsaidaidshouldorshouldnotbedistributed.Polled,thegroupwasclose
toevenlysplitinvariouslevelsofagreementanddisagreementontheissue,closetohalf
sayingthattoomuchfinancialaidalreadyexistswhiletheircounterpartssaidthatthelevelof
aidthatcurrentlyexistsisnotnearlysubstantialenough.Moreover,thereweretensionsinthe
distributionsofthisdebatedaid,someparticipantsarguingformoreaidgivenforstudentswith
vastpastacademicachievements,othersvyingformoreformsofneedbasedassistance.While
thesetensionsmaynotseemtocorrelatewiththemainintentionsofthedeliberationasa
whole,theydidprovideabaseofsplitphilosophiestobackdroptherestofthedeliberationand
discussionsthatweretofollow.
Acouplemoreofthetensionsworthmentioningappearedinconversationaround
approaches2and3whendiscussingaspectsoftraditionaleducationandthevaluethatthey
shouldpossessintheworkingandfinancialrealms.Forexample,aconsiderableamountof
tensionarosewhentheparticipantswereaskedtheiropinionsontheideaofincreasingthe
amountofgovernmentalfundingthatvocationalhighschoolprogramsaregiven.Onesectionof
participantsseemedtoagreethateducationalsystemswouldbenefitfrommorefederalaid
giventountraditionalideasandprocessingofhighschoolingspecificallyvocationalschools.In
contrast,otherparticipantsarguedformaintainingthelevelofvocationalfundingatthelevelitis
now,statingtheseopinionsonbeliefsthatitisimportanttostrengthentraditionalhighschool
educationalsystemswithfederalfinancialaidasopposedtoanyothertypes.Thereseemedto

beunspokenyetinfluentiallevelofvarianceofopinionbackingthistensionindiscussing
whetherornotvocationalschoolingisappropriatefortodayscontemporaryworkforceinthe
firstplace.Itisquitepossiblethatpreexistingbeliefsandprejudicesinfluencedtheopinionsof
participantsonfundingthesedebatededucationalmethodsinthefirstplace.
Thelastofthemaintensionsinregardtothelatterapproachesappearedindiscussion
aroundtheaspectspotentialemployersshouldlookforandvalueintheirpotentialemployees.
Thecruxoftensioninthisdisagreementwasthatoneportionoftheparticipantsbelievedthat
thetypicalemploymentprocessofemployersplacingmostemphasisoncollegiateacademic
successandpreviousrelatedexperiencesshouldbecontinued,thatthisprocessisadequate
andsatisfactorilyefficientintheemploymentworldasitstandstoday.Otherparticipantsinstead
claimedthatlessattentionshouldbedevotedbyemployersontheseaforementionedaspectsof
employeeapplicationsandthatmorevalueshouldbeplacedonthelesstangible,yetperhaps
moreimportant,aspectsofwhatmakesastrongemployee.Theseparticipantsaskedformore
considerationtobegiventootherdepictionsofemployeeworkethicsuchasgrit,determination,
integrity,andlevelofpurpose.Whilethemajorityagreedthattheseaspectsofworkethicare
alwaysimportantconsiderations,thetensionsarosewhentryingtoconsiderjusthowmuch
importancetheyshouldbegivenincontrasttopreviouslymoretraditionalandtangibleaspects
ofemploymentconsideration.
Overall,thetensionsinthisdeliberationwerevastandencompassing.Lookingatthe
tensionstogethershowsthatmaindisagreementswerenotasmuchbasedindiffering
ideologies,ratherintermsofpolicy.Forexemplification,thetensionsaroundvocational
schoolingandthedivisionsoffinancialaidwerenotsomuchthattheseorganizationsand
meansofassistanceshouldnotexist,butratherinhowtheyshouldbegovernedand
maintainedbyoverarchingpoliciesTherewasalotmoretensionplacedonfederalfinance

decisionsandalotmoreconsensusonideologiesandconsiderationsofchangetothe
educationalsystemsasawhole.Ifapolicyrecommendationwastobeofferedbasedonthis
deliberation,EducationInflation:HowtoManagetheExpectationsofaSpecializedWorld,it
wouldstatethattheUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducationshouldbeginworkonreducingthe
stigmasassociatedwithvocationalschoolsbyprovidingbetterinformationtoallstudentsabout
thesealternativeformsofeducationtoprovidetheappropriateschoolingtomeeteach
individualsneeds.

QuestionnaireResults:
Howmany
deliberations
haveyou
attended
(includingthis
one)?

13

46

66.7%

8.3%

7+

Notsure

Didnot
respond

0%

8.3%

16.7%

Inthisdeliberation,didyou
discussaspectsofthe
EducationInflationissueyou
hadntconsideredbefore?

Yes

No

75%

25%

Yes

No

Areyouthinkingdifferently
aboutthisissuenowthatyou
haveparticipatedinthis
deliberation?

58.3%

41.7%

Ageof
participants

017

1830

3145

4664

65+

Didnot
respond

8.3%

58.3%

8.3%

16.7%

0%

8.3%

Genderofparticipants

Male

Female

Didnotrespond

33.3%

58.3%

8.3%