Is a four-year college education really worth the high price tag when there are cheaper options available?

It's an inarguable fact that the experience and purpose of college enrich individuals, society and our culture. Let's stop trying to prove or disprove it. Let's begin focusing on something students can benefit from. We do not serve students or society well as long as the battle is trying to prove that the industry is worth it. It is.

Given the new -- and continually changing -- types of skills currently in demand, it is not clear what the ideal path is for high school graduates. But what does seem clear is that we need an expanded conception of what constitutes higher education.

Why is it that even as new populations of low-income African-American and Hispanic students enter higher education in even greater numbers, the new mantra of the elite commentariat is that maybe we need more job training, less Shakespeare and more socket wrenches?