The Do It Yourself (DIY) Guide to Credentialing

The cat's out of the bag and more and more people are awakening to the fact that a college degree is no longer what it was cracked up to be.  If you are convinced, there are a few people who are doing a great job of sharing ideas for alternatives that are less costly, more meaningful, and result in real evidence of demonstrated knowledge that say more about qualifications than numbers on a transcript. 

First up is Anya Kamenetz who wrote "The Edupunks' Guide to a DIY Credential.

College takes time. College is expensive. College is exclusive.
College is no longer the only way to get a great education.

This guide explains how and is supported by some big hitters like the Gates Foundation and received support from the fabulous Dennis Littky of Big Picture Schools and College Unbound.  Here are some of the topics the guide addresses:
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Is College Really for All?

The Common Core Standards are being adopted far and wide and sprinkled throughout is a new acronym that concerns educators like me.


CCR


It stands for College AND Career readiness.  This concerns a lot of people for a lot of reasons. You can read what I’ve written about this here. Here are five obvious reasons not everyone should go to college:

1. Many of our most successful entrepreneurs didn’t graduate from college and many of those who did question its value.
2. College-ready shouldn’t be a requirement for blue collar workers.
3. The artists, musicians, photographers, actors, of our world don’t need a college degree.  
4. College debt has surpassed credit card debt in our country.  Do we need to force everyone down this path?
5. High school students are given less and less choice when it comes to focusing on what they are interested in.  They may need time in the world before picking a path in college.  Heck ask around and you’ll see that many people who did graduate from college aren’t in the field they went to school for.  
6. Not everyone is, or should have to be, academically-minded.  

Many innovative educators know that it’s common sense that the common core should not require college for all and if they don’t there’s tons of press coverage to inform them.  Here’s a round up of some stories that have caught my eye lately.
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