Johnny Can't Write!

In yet another indictment of public education, professors in the California State University system are charging that students arrive at colleges unable to write (probably related to the fact that they still don't read well enough). Erin Goldin, director of the Writing Center, which provides tutoring at Cal State San Marcos, said, "A really common complaint from (college) faculty is students not being able to put together a complete sentence properly." A worse turn of events is that, "When students come in here, ... I try to explain the rules, but they don't seem to have learned the structure of a sentence." Not so important for creative writing, but how many students will make a living as poets, novelists or short story writers? The vast majority of writing is nonfiction, in which the ability to construct correct sentences and put them together coherently is of top importance.

The problems are complex, as are most social issues. Research by the ACT reveals a great disparity between what professors and K-12 teachers feel students graduating high school should know as preparation for higher education. In an effort to provide students with broad reviews of subjects, schools seem to have fallen into the "mile wide, inch deep" trap.

What can we do as writers, relatives of students, citizens who fund public schools? One suggestion I have is to give college-bound students deeper training and exposure to the areas of importance for higher studies. We can demand our states change the content standards to match the realities of college work. Any "writer in residence" program" can include experiences with more practical writing skills. What are your ideas to help the situation?

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