NEW YORK, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- A national study says U.S. universities are not keeping up with advances and progress in elementary and secondary schools, the New York Times reported.
The study, "Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education," said U.S. high school students are generally better prepared for college than a decade ago, but many states are providing less financing to help students pay for college, and in many states, fewer students are enrolling.
The report card-style assessment gave only three states better grades than D or F on affordability: California, with a B, Utah got a C and Minnesota got a C-.
"After 20 years of working on school reform, we seem to be getting kids more college-prepared," said David Breneman, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, who led the reporting group. "But 20 years of reducing state support has made it harder for these kids to get into college and to get through.
"Maybe the message is that there is some work now to be done at the higher education level."
