Rising CollegeSelectivity

Rising collegeselectivity doesn't mean that students are smarter and more serious than in thepast.It's a function of excess demand for higher education,occurring at a timeof

increased financialprivatization of the industry.

The recession hasonly increased demand.The vast majority of students aren't going to collegebecause of a thirst for knowledge.They're there because they need a job,and

they need to get thecredentials（证书）and onehopes, the knowledge and skills behind the credentials一thatwill get them into the labor market.

As higher educationhas become a seller's market,the institutions in a position to do so are doingwhat comes naturally.raising their tuitions and their admissions

requirements,but atthe expense of contributing to the national goal to increase collegeattainment.The result is that the United States is losing ground in theinternational race

for educationaltalent.

The increasingstratification（阶层化）ofhigher education is happening on the spending side, as well.As the selectiveinstitutions have become more expensive and less

attainable,the resthave had to struggle with the responsibility to enroll more students withoutbeing paid to do so.Gaps be-tween rich and poor have grown even more

dramatically thangaps in entering test scores.While spending is a poor measure of educationalquality,we can't seriously expect to increase educational attainment if we'renot

prepared to dosomething to address these growing inequities in funding.

That said,theeducational policy problem in our country is not that the elite institutionsare becoming more selective.The problem is on the public policy side.Thepresident

and many governorshave set a goal to return Americato a position of international leadership in educational attainment.

It's the rightgoal,we just need a financing strategy to get there.That doesn't mean just moremoney,although some more money will be needed.It also means better attention to

effectiveness and toefficiency,and to making sure that spending goes to the places that will make adifference in educational attainment.We know how to do it,if we want to.

What does theauthor think should be modified?

A.The selectivity ofelite institutions.

B.Theindustrialization of education.

C.The goal ofeducation attainment.

D.The government'sfunding strategy.