Can College Level the Playing Field? Higher Education in an Unequal Society

Why higher education is not a silver bullet for eradicating economic inequality and social injustice We often think that a college degree will open doors to opportunity regardless of one’s background or upbringing. In this eye-opening book, two of today’s leading economists argue that higher educati...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Baum, Sandy
Other Authors: McPherson, Michael
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxford Princeton University Press 2022, ©2022
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: DeGruyter MPG Collection - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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505 0 |a Introduction -- Understanding the issues : inequality and mobility -- Inequality in higher education : who goes to college? Where do they enroll? Which credentials do they earn? -- Getting to the college door : inequality in pre-college circumstances and experiences -- After college -- What can colleges and universities do? -- Policy directions -- Conclusion 
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520 3 |a Why higher education is not a silver bullet for eradicating economic inequality and social injustice We often think that a college degree will open doors to opportunity regardless of one’s background or upbringing. In this eye-opening book, two of today’s leading economists argue that higher education alone cannot overcome the lasting effects of inequality that continue to plague us, and offer sensible solutions for building a more just and equitable society. Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson document the starkly different educational and social environments in which children of different races and economic backgrounds grow up, and explain why social equity requires sustained efforts to provide the broadest possible access to high-quality early childhood and K–12 education. They dismiss panaceas like eliminating college tuition and replacing the classroom experience with online education, revealing why they fail to provide better education for those who need it most, and discuss how wages in our dysfunctional labor market are sharply skewed toward the highly educated. Baum and McPherson argue that greater investment in the postsecondary institutions that educate most low-income and marginalized students will have a bigger impact than just getting more students from these backgrounds into the most prestigious colleges and universities. While the need for reform extends far beyond our colleges and universities, there is much that both academic and government leaders can do to mitigate the worst consequences of America’s deeply seated inequalities. This book shows how we can address the root causes of social injustice and level the playing field for students and families before, during, and after college.