The Atlanta Journal/Constitution reports that Georgia is going to give financial incentives to state colleges and universities that improve their graduation rates.
Governor Nathan Deal says that this won’t “downgrade the quality of our education” but will only “focus on the importance of completion.”
Sorry, governor, but it probably will downgrade quality since schools will find new ways to keep weak, disengaged students enrolled until they get enough credits to graduate. As for “the importance of completion,” any student who thought that was important could do what is required to graduate. Graduating is not a matter of importance to the state; it’s a matter of importance (or not) to individuals. If some of them enroll and later decide that the costs exceed the benefits, that isn’t a governmental problem.