EDUCATION

The fact that nearly a quarter of public high school students who entered state colleges in the fall of 1995 needed remedial help in math, English or reading is deeply disturbing. Although officials seem reluctant to cite a specific cause for this problem, clearly it’s a problem Virginia should not be having.

We can perhaps understand why some college students might need help in math. But reading? English? This is pretty scary.

College should not be a training ground for basic academic skills. There is some relief in the fact that 90 percent of remedial education takes place in community colleges, but even that is distressing. The purpose of community college is not to compensate for the failure of public schools to see that students are properly educated. Remember, we’re talking about students who want to go to college and therefore should be expected to have better skills in math, English and reading than those who have no interest in further education.

Colleges, always eager for students, must resist the temptation to lower their standards. Public schools must insist that students planning to attend college meet the standards required for college-level work.

Finding sufficient tax dollars for higher education is hard enough under the best circumstances. The current $25 million a year the state is spending on remedial education for college students is money that it may be necessary to spend, but it is a sad necessity.

Likely there will always be some students who need extra help when they get to college. But one in four is too many.