Gatekeeper Courses

This is an ugly subject, and many educators will flatly deny that their colleges have "gatekeeper courses." But they do. Sixty years (or more) ago, we could assume several things. High schools were doing a good job of basic education, and for most people a high school diploma was their grandest achievement. (Take a look at this 8th grade final exam from Kansas in 1895). For the lucky few who managed to gain entrance to a college, everyone could assume a high level of preparation.

Not so any more.

Beginning in the 1960s, America engaged in an enormous educational experiment. Almost everyone who wants to can graduate high school. And almost everyone who wants to can get into college. EVERYONE!

This means that a lot of very unprepared people with very poor habits are in our freshman classes. One of my colleagues in the math department has to teach students how to convert a common fraction into a decimal. I often have to point out that the first person pronoun "I" is capitalized. Lots of stuff that should have been covered in the third or fourth grade just didn't get learned. My students are often surprised that they have to actually show up for every class. One informed me that his high school English teacher gave him a "C" because she knew how much he loved basketball and she didn't want him to be ineligible to play. Thus the need for gatekeeper courses: a filter to give everyone a chance, but weed out the ones who simply won't succeed as sophomores.

Characteristics of a Gatekeeper Course

• Absolutely everyone has to take the course. Freshman English and math are good examples.


• The stress is on skills that should have been learned a long time ago. Thus (again) English and math, but not necessarily art history.


• Some of the requirements seem a little childish. When I was a freshman, my math homework had to be fastened together with one staple. Two staples would lose me points. When I teach a course, I take attendance every day and count it as a major component of the grade. Why all the trivia? Some people need to know that when a teacher (or supervisor at work) says to do something, it's really necessary to do it.


• Lots of people fail. I'm known as a fairly easy teacher. Two thirds of my students can proceed to the next class. One third must repeat. I've seen failure rates as high as 75%.

What all this means to you

• You have to take the course seriously. Chances are that someone is looking for a way to clean the deadwood out of the freshman class. Don't provide an opportunity.


• This stuff isn't brain surgery. Showing up on time, shutting off the cell phone, and turning in homework on time aren't exactly the material for a course in "the deeper magic." If you never really did learn how to do basic arithmetic or basic sentence grammar, it's easy to find someone to help—and this material should have been in place by the time you were fourteen years old.


• Some gatekeeper teachers hate doing this. Another inconvenient truth: these courses burn teachers out. If you provide more fuel for that burnout, don't be surprised if you are the one who suffers. On the other hand, a student who makes a real effort to do well and cooperate will often find a gatekeeper teacher to be a real friend.

A word about retention

One buzzword at public colleges is "retention." Can we keep the students? Colleges don't look good when a lot of people fail, so we'd love to hold on to the qualified ones. In no particular order, here are some of the reasons my students fail, and the college's attempt to remedy:

• Immaturity. Students on athletic scholarships have to answer to their coaches if they are failing. I often send memos to coaches when students have problems attending. We send out midterm grades to all students who are failing.


• Alcohol. Nationwide, about 25% of college freshmen have a drinking problem severe enough to interfere with their studies. All colleges now enforce rules against underage drinking. Almost all colleges have counseling services available to students concerned about their substance abuse.


• Other personal issues. Whether the issue is depression, pregnancy, or simple homesickness, colleges have free (and confidential) counseling services for all students.


• Lack of skills. Almost all English and math departments have tutoring labs (again, they are free). Sadly, few of my students (and almost none of the ones who need it most) can be persuaded to accept this form of help.