• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

newsMilwaukee NNSMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University

You are here: Home / Posts from Community / Admit it, grads: The degree divide divides America

Admit it, grads: The degree divide divides America

June 17, 2014 by Jim McCorkell, College Possible Founder and CEO Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

I get asked all the time if college is for everyone. The question people are usually really asking is, “should we go to the trouble to send poor kids to college?” I respond that college is definitely not for everyone but that our country can only succeed if we make college more accessible to more capable, low-income, first-generation students. Far from charity cases, these trailblazers have the potential to transform our workforce. We should all be concerned about their futures.

The end of poverty starts with college. A recent Pew Research study found that today’s young adults with degrees earn an average of $17,000 more annually and are four times less likely to be unemployed and living in poverty than their peers without degrees. Over the course of a lifetime, college graduates earn $1 million more than high school graduates.

Educating our capable low-income students through college is not only the right thing to do; it is the only way to maintain our country’s strong workforce in a competitive global economy. Our country needs every one of our capable high school students to graduate from college. According to a recent Georgetown study, we will fall 5 million college-educated workers short of workforce demand by 2020 at current degree attainment rates.

As it stands, students from upper income families are almost ten times more likely to earn a college degree than their low-income peers. Each year, at least 240,000 low-income students who are capable of attending college do not enroll. There are 240,000 individual stories behind this disparity. Jessica—who despite great test scores and grades, was told she’d be more comfortable in a trade program and William, who did not complete his application to his dream school when confronted with an application fee his parents could not manage—both come to mind.

We know that when students receive financial aid information and coaching, entrance exam tutoring and guidance in visiting campuses, we level the playing field. We have also seen that when students have the support of an adult who helps them answer and silence a lifetime of voices telling them they’re not “college material,” they can imagine college and can make it happen. Importantly, the support cannot stop when freshman year begins. Coaching and support all the way through college graduation day seals the deal.

When these students succeed they give us more than feel-good stories about the power of education. These kids are following the surest path out of poverty and will change their families, communities and the country as a result. We need them to succeed and grow their numbers until we reclaim the 240,000 scholars and workers we lose each year. If we can make this happen, these graduates will take on critical work as teachers, scientists, engineers, contractors and journalists, building a rich, diverse 21st century workforce.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Posts from Community

Avatar

About Jim McCorkell, College Possible Founder and CEO

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement

How To …

How to avoid stimulus check scams

A new round of stimulus checks will likely also bring out a new round of scams. Here’s what to watch out for.

More "How To" articles

Advertisement

Recommended Reading

A Vaccine Reality Check

The Atlantic

UWM study on the state of Black Milwaukee describes the city as ‘the epitome of a 21st century racial regime’

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Videos Show How Federal Officers Escalated Violence in Portland

The New York Times

These mayors want to fight Covid-19 and the recession with one big idea: A guaranteed income

Vox

The World John Lewis Helped Create

The Atlantic

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Videos
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect Radio

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Internship opportunities
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in