Education Commons^™

Understanding The Value Of Education: A Critical Component Of A Major Social Change Effort, Susan R. Madsen, Cheryl Hanewicz, Nicolle Johnson, Jessica Burnham

Susan R. Madsen

Receiving the benefits of postsecondary education is important to nations throughout the world. A more educated citizenry results in, among other things, less crime and poverty, increased physical and mental health of individuals, and greater economic growth (e.g., American Human Development Project, 2009; Pascarella, & Terenzini, 2005). These benefits are felt at all levels of society (i.e., individual, community, and national) and essentially define the social and economic structure of a nation. According to a Lumina Foundation (2009) report “college-attainment rates are rising in almost every industrialized or post-industrial country in the world, except the U.S.” (p.1). The graduation rate …