A new video from Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce highlights a vexing problem.
Every year, 500,000 students who graduated in the top half of their high school class fail to complete a college degree.
“Most of these students go to college, but drop out,” the video narrator explains. “So they get all the debt and none of the benefits a degree confers.”
The short animated film highlights the consequences for both students and the American economy.
Consider these findings:
- High school grads who never attend college earn $1 million less over their lifetime when compared to college grads.
- If the 500,000 “forgotten” students cited above received bachelor’s degrees, they would provide a collective $400 billion boost to the US economy.
The takeaway? More resources are needed to help talented students get to and through college.
“A good place to start is spending an additional $5,000 a year per student for support services to get them to graduation,” the video notes. “These students are college-ready and deserve a chance.”
Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.