U.S. needs more students going to college

Last May, Rafael became the first in his family to get a college degree when he graduated from the University of Vermont. As an African-American, Rafael beat the odds. Today only 40 percent of African-American students are finishing high school, 20 percent attending college, and 4 percent graduating from college within five years.

In the United States, movement up the educational ladder correlates directly with family income, as children in poverty – often African-American and Latino – face insurmountable obstacles. We are failing to educate a more-diverse, less-affluent population, and at every rung of the educational ladder these underserved children are falling behind their wealthier peers. In 2004 and 2005, students from low-income backgrounds were six times more likely to drop out of high school than their peers from high-income families. Likewise, students from the top income quartile were six times more likely to graduate from college than those from the bottom income quartile.

By Rick Dalton

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