<p>I once taught at the Community College of Philadelphia. Complete open admission to all graduates of Philadelphia high schools. All students had to take a writing exam for placement (which I graded - 5,000 per term!) The average student tested out at the 7th grade level; the lowest at the 2nd grade level. We hoped to get all students up to 11th grade level before graduation - which could mean years of remedial work.</p>
<p>I used to teach the last course in critical thinking before students could move on to a four-year institution. Most students were older than I was. Every term, I had 2, and sometimes 3, students who moved on to Penn or other Ivy League institutions. They were usually brighter than the majority of students I taught at the University of Chicago - they just suffered from poor preparation.</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way - I was a better teacher at the Community College of Philadelphia than I was at UChicago. First of all, I had more experience. More importantly, every student - regardless of their academic level - knew why s/he was there.</p>