Here at 50CAN we spend most of our time grappling with one essential question: How do we ensure that all kids have equal access to top-notch public schools that prepare them for success in college and work (or “post-secondary success,” as the jargon-hounds call it)?
In so many ways, however, the battle is just beginning when students enter college. The reality for far too many students is that they will leave college without their diploma. 8.3 percent of students from low-income families have earned a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s; compared with the national average of 30.6 percent. (Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Education Attainment in the United States: 2009 and Tom Mortenson, “Bachelor’s Degree Attainment by Age 24 by Family Income Quartiles, 1970 to 2009.”) When we look at six-year graduation rates for four-year colleges and universities by race we see equally bleak outcomes. Compared to an over...
