@BowtiePrincipal Dr. Mike Robinson: What is the value of a higher education degree?
Dr. Rashid Faisal: Traditionally speaking, higher education is viewed as a pathway to better job opportunities, to a prosperous career, financial security, a comfortable lifestyle, and a way to get ahead in life. Individuals with some form of higher education typically earn more money and have a lower probability of unemployment and underemployment. Gainful employment and financial stability help mitigate the stress and health disparities associated with economic insecurity, unemployment, underemployment, and poverty. With this view in mind, higher education is associated with upward mobility or access to better job opportunities, more stable employment, financial wellness, and positive socioeconomic and health outcomes. At least, this how higher education is viewed and often marketed to students in PreK-12 school systems.
From a consumer perspective, Americans are strongly questioning whether higher education, in the form of a four-year degree, is worth the cost and the time commitment due to the student-loan-debt crisis and the demands of the job market for specialized skills. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed this paradox of Americans' belief in education's promised upward mobility and financial stability while having their faith in higher education shaken because of the financial insecurity caused by student-loan-debt. Besides, the transformation of the job market to now include occupations and employment opportunities that do not require a four-year college degree has caused today's students to rethink whether a four-year degree is worth a lifetime of debt for a degree that may not prepare them for specific employment opportunities. As a result of the job market's growing demand for particular skills and competencies, certificate programs and skills-training are now seen as a more efficient and cost-effective pathway to job opportunities not requiring a four-year degree.
There is value in a higher education degree. I will say that the choice between a four-year degree, two-year-degree, certificate program, or skills training program must be a strategic choice based on a students' long-term academic goals, career aspirations, economic considerations, and long-term financial goals. School counselors, guidance counselors, and school support services must provide students with an awareness of all of their higher education options, including exposure to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the best post-secondary options based on students' individual academic goals, career aspirations, and long-term financial goals.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What role has education played in your life?
Dr. Rashid Faisal: Education—both formal and informal—has shaped my personal and professional identities and provided me with a positive, culturally, and racially-affirming social identity. As a result of my early exposure to African and African American history, I associated doing well in school with having a positive racial identity. In other words, I never associated education or high educational attainment as being the exclusive domain of White Americans. My informal education—or the education I received from my parents—emphasized today's "Black Excellence." As a young elementary-age student, I read books highlighting the scholastic and career achievements of Black Americans. For example, I remember being assigned to complete a research paper in my science class on Albert Einstein and his scientific discoveries. My father interjected and had me complete a paper on engineer and inventor Granville T. Woods, known as the "Black Edison," for his significant innovations in the railroad industry and his electrical inventions. This event was my first introduction to what today is known as culturally relevant pedagogy—my father pushed my school to use Black Americans' cultural knowledge and history as a frame of reference when researching scientists and their achievements. As an educator, this early lesson from my parents on culturally relevant pedagogy informs my practice of using African and African American history to explore more topics.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What educational advice would you offer to young people leaving high school on their way to college?
Dr. Rashid Faisal: If we speak of the traditional two-year and four-year colleges and universities, the advice I would give is to focus on being effective and efficient. Too often, we treat college as a "place holder" for figuring out what we want to do in life. If treated in this manner, college is an expensive place holder due to the skyrocketing cost of attending college. When working with high school students in my fraternity's (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.) Go-to-High School, Go-to-College program, I instructed students to use their high school years to "Figure out what you want to accomplish by going to college and then figuring out how you plan to pay for it." This discussion also included exploring other pathways to achieving their goals, including two-year programs at the community college, certificate programs, vocational or trade, and skills-based programs, including entrepreneur education. My advice was to focus on being efficient and cost-effective. In other words, I warned students not to spend six years completing a college degree that can be completed in three-to-four years as doing so will increase the cost of attending when additional years are tacked.
The student-debt crisis revealed an ugly truth that points to the need to reform college education in how students are educated and how students pay for securing an education. Higher education must come relevant to the changing needs of a global society. Higher education must become affordable. Sadly, many students, especially first-generation students and "minoritized" students, leave high school and then "struggle to pay for college." And once they graduate, they spend a lifetime "struggling to pay for college" because of being straddled with enormous student-loan debt. Students leaving high school and entering college must be supported by developing a strategic plan to effectively and efficiently navigate the higher education system.
Dr. Rashid Faisal: Traditionally speaking, higher education is viewed as a pathway to better job opportunities, to a prosperous career, financial security, a comfortable lifestyle, and a way to get ahead in life. Individuals with some form of higher education typically earn more money and have a lower probability of unemployment and underemployment. Gainful employment and financial stability help mitigate the stress and health disparities associated with economic insecurity, unemployment, underemployment, and poverty. With this view in mind, higher education is associated with upward mobility or access to better job opportunities, more stable employment, financial wellness, and positive socioeconomic and health outcomes. At least, this how higher education is viewed and often marketed to students in PreK-12 school systems.
From a consumer perspective, Americans are strongly questioning whether higher education, in the form of a four-year degree, is worth the cost and the time commitment due to the student-loan-debt crisis and the demands of the job market for specialized skills. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed this paradox of Americans' belief in education's promised upward mobility and financial stability while having their faith in higher education shaken because of the financial insecurity caused by student-loan-debt. Besides, the transformation of the job market to now include occupations and employment opportunities that do not require a four-year college degree has caused today's students to rethink whether a four-year degree is worth a lifetime of debt for a degree that may not prepare them for specific employment opportunities. As a result of the job market's growing demand for particular skills and competencies, certificate programs and skills-training are now seen as a more efficient and cost-effective pathway to job opportunities not requiring a four-year degree.
There is value in a higher education degree. I will say that the choice between a four-year degree, two-year-degree, certificate program, or skills training program must be a strategic choice based on a students' long-term academic goals, career aspirations, economic considerations, and long-term financial goals. School counselors, guidance counselors, and school support services must provide students with an awareness of all of their higher education options, including exposure to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the best post-secondary options based on students' individual academic goals, career aspirations, and long-term financial goals.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What role has education played in your life?
Dr. Rashid Faisal: Education—both formal and informal—has shaped my personal and professional identities and provided me with a positive, culturally, and racially-affirming social identity. As a result of my early exposure to African and African American history, I associated doing well in school with having a positive racial identity. In other words, I never associated education or high educational attainment as being the exclusive domain of White Americans. My informal education—or the education I received from my parents—emphasized today's "Black Excellence." As a young elementary-age student, I read books highlighting the scholastic and career achievements of Black Americans. For example, I remember being assigned to complete a research paper in my science class on Albert Einstein and his scientific discoveries. My father interjected and had me complete a paper on engineer and inventor Granville T. Woods, known as the "Black Edison," for his significant innovations in the railroad industry and his electrical inventions. This event was my first introduction to what today is known as culturally relevant pedagogy—my father pushed my school to use Black Americans' cultural knowledge and history as a frame of reference when researching scientists and their achievements. As an educator, this early lesson from my parents on culturally relevant pedagogy informs my practice of using African and African American history to explore more topics.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What educational advice would you offer to young people leaving high school on their way to college?
Dr. Rashid Faisal: If we speak of the traditional two-year and four-year colleges and universities, the advice I would give is to focus on being effective and efficient. Too often, we treat college as a "place holder" for figuring out what we want to do in life. If treated in this manner, college is an expensive place holder due to the skyrocketing cost of attending college. When working with high school students in my fraternity's (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.) Go-to-High School, Go-to-College program, I instructed students to use their high school years to "Figure out what you want to accomplish by going to college and then figuring out how you plan to pay for it." This discussion also included exploring other pathways to achieving their goals, including two-year programs at the community college, certificate programs, vocational or trade, and skills-based programs, including entrepreneur education. My advice was to focus on being efficient and cost-effective. In other words, I warned students not to spend six years completing a college degree that can be completed in three-to-four years as doing so will increase the cost of attending when additional years are tacked.
The student-debt crisis revealed an ugly truth that points to the need to reform college education in how students are educated and how students pay for securing an education. Higher education must come relevant to the changing needs of a global society. Higher education must become affordable. Sadly, many students, especially first-generation students and "minoritized" students, leave high school and then "struggle to pay for college." And once they graduate, they spend a lifetime "struggling to pay for college" because of being straddled with enormous student-loan debt. Students leaving high school and entering college must be supported by developing a strategic plan to effectively and efficiently navigate the higher education system.
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Dr. Rashid Faisal
As a certified school administrator, teacher and reading specialist, Dr. Rashid Faisal’s vision is for all students to gain an equal and equitable opportunity to graduate from high school and enroll in college. For the past three years, Dr. Faisal served as Director of Faculty and Instruction for an urban charter school district serving students in grades PreK-12, and as an Instructional Leadership Coach for Detroit Community School District. In addition to his work in both charter and public-school settings, Dr. Faisal serves as Director of Urban Teachers Academy, an organization specializing professional development in culturally responsive leadership and teacher leadership development. Dr. Faisal served as the primary trainer for master teachers at the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s College of Education, Health, and Human Services. He currently serves as principal internship coach at Teachers College of Columbia University.
Dr. Faisal earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and elementary education and Sociology from Madonna University; Masters of Arts in Education and Reading from Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan; Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership and Principalship from Teachers College of Columbia University; Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University; Education Doctorate in Urban Education from the University of Michigan—Dearborn where he was elected Graduate Student of the Year, Alumni of the Year, and Honors Scholar for the College of Education, Health and Human Services. His research interests are in the areas of college-and-career readiness in underserved schools, culturally responsive leadership, culturally relevant teaching, ecological models for school improvement, the development of African American students’ academic identity and achievement orientation, and the history of Black American education.
Dr. Faisal enjoys a fulfilling spiritual and family life with his wife, Christie, and their daughter Gabrielle. He is passionate about servant leadership and preparing students from underserved communities for college success. The motto “Excellence is Our Norm” summarizes his belief that all students can achieve academic and social success with appropriate investment –not intervention. He has written two books, one on fatherhood and the other on the servant leadership philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is currently finishing a book on the life and legacy of Cornelius L. Henderson, an African American chief design engineer for the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnels. Dr. Faisal’s hobbies include bike riding and sports, researching African American history; writing for the Michigan Historical Society; collecting vintage college memorabilia and literature; collecting memorabilia from the Negro Leagues and Black Fives era; and visiting museums, book stores, cultural centers, and historical sites.
Dr. Faisal earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and elementary education and Sociology from Madonna University; Masters of Arts in Education and Reading from Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan; Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership and Principalship from Teachers College of Columbia University; Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University; Education Doctorate in Urban Education from the University of Michigan—Dearborn where he was elected Graduate Student of the Year, Alumni of the Year, and Honors Scholar for the College of Education, Health and Human Services. His research interests are in the areas of college-and-career readiness in underserved schools, culturally responsive leadership, culturally relevant teaching, ecological models for school improvement, the development of African American students’ academic identity and achievement orientation, and the history of Black American education.
Dr. Faisal enjoys a fulfilling spiritual and family life with his wife, Christie, and their daughter Gabrielle. He is passionate about servant leadership and preparing students from underserved communities for college success. The motto “Excellence is Our Norm” summarizes his belief that all students can achieve academic and social success with appropriate investment –not intervention. He has written two books, one on fatherhood and the other on the servant leadership philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is currently finishing a book on the life and legacy of Cornelius L. Henderson, an African American chief design engineer for the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnels. Dr. Faisal’s hobbies include bike riding and sports, researching African American history; writing for the Michigan Historical Society; collecting vintage college memorabilia and literature; collecting memorabilia from the Negro Leagues and Black Fives era; and visiting museums, book stores, cultural centers, and historical sites.