{"id":9360,"date":"2017-06-14T01:41:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T01:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=9360"},"modified":"2017-06-15T01:45:52","modified_gmt":"2017-06-15T01:45:52","slug":"can-people-like-me-go-to-college-inequality-and-dreams-of-higher-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/can-people-like-me-go-to-college-inequality-and-dreams-of-higher-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Can people ‘like me’ go to college? Inequality and dreams of higher ed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daphna Oyserman<\/a>, University of Southern California \u2013 Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em> and Neil Lewis Jr.<\/a>, University of Michigan<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The cost of college may be on the rise<\/a>, but most still agree that it\u2019s a sound investment<\/a>. There are, in fact, a number of personal<\/a> and societal<\/a> benefits associated with getting a bachelor\u2019s degree and, it seems, people know that: Over 90 percent<\/a> of Americans \u2013 across all races and socioeconomic statuses \u2013 aspire to attend college.<\/p>\n

Despite these aspirations, only about a third of Americans<\/a> currently hold bachelor\u2019s degrees. And the gap between those who aspire to go to college and those who actually achieve a degree is much larger<\/a> for students from some backgrounds than for others. <\/p>\n

As a team of social scientists from the University of Southern California and University of Michigan, we had a question: Why are the gaps between aspiration and attainment wider for some groups of students? And can we reduce that gap?<\/p>\n

College is a resource: More is better<\/h2>\n

Having a bachelor\u2019s degree is associated with significantly higher average lifetime earnings<\/a>, longer life<\/a> and better health<\/a>. Bachelor\u2019s degree holders are more likely to get married and less likely to get divorced<\/a>.<\/p>\n

College graduates are also good for communities and societies. Neighborhoods with college-educated parents have better schools<\/a>, as college-educated people contribute more to the tax base. Local and national economies are better off with more educated workers<\/a>. Countries with a more educated population have stronger democracies<\/a> and more civic participation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n Earning a degree has both personal and societal benefits.<\/span>
\n COD Newsroom\/flickr<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aspirations matter, but aren\u2019t enough<\/h2>\n

Unsurprisingly, there\u2019s a strong link between aspiring to go to college and actually attending. And needless to say, people who don\u2019t aspire to go to college rarely do go to college. But aspirations aren\u2019t enough; many who hope to earn a degree never start college, and fewer still actually graduate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To better understand why, we conducted a systematic review<\/a> of relevant studies from psychology, economics, sociology and public policy. We found that high aspirations are pretty evenly spread across the U.S.: Most Americans, regardless of demographics, want to go to college. But achievement of those aspirations is not evenly spread: The odds of graduating college heavily favor students with educated, wealthy parents.<\/p>\n

Think of family income, wealth and education as resources that a student can use to attain academic success. These resources are like rungs on a social ladder. And, as it turns out, a family\u2019s position in this social hierarchy matters for their children\u2019s academic outcomes \u2013 no matter what racial or ethnic background their family has. Although 80 to 100 percent of students<\/a> (depending on the study) aspire to go to college, only 63 percent<\/a> of students from low- and middle-income families enroll in college, compared to 83 percent<\/a> of students from high-income families.<\/p>\n

There also seems to be a correlation between race-ethnicity and going to college. People from all racial-ethnic backgrounds are as likely to start college. What differs is their likelihood of completion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why might this be? One difference is their families, who are less likely to be near the top of the social hierarchy. Some of this is wealth \u2013 the average wealth of white and black families, for instance, differs by a factor of 14<\/a>. But Latino, African-American and Native American children are also more likely to be from low-income, low-education families<\/a>, which places them at the bottom of the social hierarchy.<\/p>\n

In fact, some studies show that once social hierarchy is taken into account, racial-ethnic minority and white students are equally likely to be enrolled<\/a> in 2- or 4-year colleges. <\/p>\n

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\n The farther down the social ladder, the harder is it to go to and complete college.<\/span>
\n Matej Kastelic\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do the upper rungs get you?<\/h2>\n

According to a recent study, 38 colleges have more students from the top 1 percent<\/a> of the nation\u2019s income distribution than the bottom 60 percent.<\/p>\n

Some may find this unsettling. Why does it seem like students born on the upper rungs stay there, while everyone else doesn\u2019t even get the chance to move up? This lack of mobility may have to do with the benefits of family wealth. <\/p>\n

So what does money buy? One thing is better schools before college. Even though states attempt to equalize funding, much of a public school\u2019s money comes from local taxes<\/a>. That means that students from wealthier families have access to better-resourced schools, which often includes better support in applying for college<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But social hierarchy is not just about material resources. Rather, our research suggests that certain environments shape student motivation:<\/p>\n