Blog #10

Research Blog #10: Final Abstract, Bibliography, and Link to Your Paper

Present an abstract of your final project and include your complete bibliography of sources.  These two items will be very helpful to other people who want to learn more about your project.  Remember that both also need to be included with your final paper also.  These must be posted online by April 29th at the latest.

The United States prides itself in equal opportunities for all and access to higher education tops the list. There are opportunities and programs that enable less financially privileged students to attend a college or university — government and state funded loans or grants are available, as well as short-term programs that help struggling applicants prepare for a college education. Additional guidance counselors in lower income areas also have been found to help high school students determine the best school. These resources and financial aid make higher learning a graspable goal, but that is only half the battle. Successfully completing a degree is the troubling journey.

College completion rates for wealthy students have soared in 40 years, but the same cannot be said for low income young adults in school, leaning to a yawning gap in graduation rates that could have lasting implications for the socioeconomic divide.

According to “Big Gap in College Education Rates between Rich and Poor,” of the Wall Street Journal, the rift between students of wealthy families and students of poor areas is continuing to grow, without any signs of slowing down. The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education recorded that in 2017, 77% of adults from families in the top income quartile earned at least a bachelor’s degree at the age of 24, which is a 40% increase since 1970. On the contrary, the amount of students earning at least a bachelor’s degree in the lowest income quartile increased only from 6% in 1970 to 9% in 2013. This shows the amount of students receiving a bachelor’s degree at the age of 24 is increasing as a whole, but financially struggling populations are lagging behind. In order to decrease the gap of academic achievement between students belonging to different income classes, academic programs that focus on developing a student’s ambitions while providing psychological and financial support must be implemented especially at an earlier age. 

Works Cited

1.       "Big Gap in College Graduation Rates for Rich and Poor, Study Finds." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

2.      "The Stewardship of Higher Education : Re-imagining the Role of Education and Wellness on Community Impact." (eBook, 2013) [WorldCat.org]. N.p., 25 Nov. 2016. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

3.      "Why Poor Kids Don’t Stay in College." The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

4.      Olsen, Hanna Brooks. "But Seriously, Let's Talk About Millennial Poverty." Medium. N.p., 11 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

5.      "More Than 40% of Low-Income Schools Don't Get a Fair Share of State and Local Funds, Department of Education Research Finds." More Than 40% of Low-Income Schools Don't Get a Fair Share of State and Local Funds, Department of Education Research Finds | U.S. Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

6.      Tough, Paul. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

7.      McLeod, Saul. "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Simply Psychology. N.p., 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

8.      Armstrong, Elizabeth A., and Laura T. Hamilton. Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2013. Print.

9.      "The Institute For College Access and Success." What We Do | The Institute For College Access and Success. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

10.  How the $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is Crippling Students, Parents and the Economy. N.p., n.d. Web.

11.  Gorman, Ryan. "How Student-loan Debt Is Dragging down the Economy." Business Insider. Business Insider, 01 May 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

12.  "Why Poor Kids Don’t Stay in College." The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

13.  "Home." Learning Environments | 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

14.  Bair, Sheila. "The Real Reasons College Students Drop Out." Fortune. N.p., 07 Mar. 2016. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

15.  Dwyer, Rachel, McCLoud, Laura and Hodson, Randy. Debt and Graduation from American Universities . Print

16.  Collinge, Alan. The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History, and How We Can Fight Back. Boston, MA: Beacon, 2009. Print

17.  "ERIC - Educational Aspirations among Low-Income Youths: Examining Multiple Conceptual Models, Children & Schools, 2010-Apr." ERIC - Educational Aspirations among Low-Income Youths: Examining Multiple Conceptual Models, Children & Schools, 2010-Apr. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

18.  Tough, Paul. "Who Gets to Graduate?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 May 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

19.  Weissmann, Jordan. "Smart Poor Kids Are Less Likely to Graduate From College Than Middling Rich Kids." Slate Magazine. N.p., 02 June 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

20.  "Why Are Low Income Students Not Showing up to College, Even Though They Have Been Accepted? - The Hechinger Report." The Hechinger Report. N.p., 03 Nov. 2015. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

21.  Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.

22.  "Rutgers Future Scholars." Rutgers Future Scholars. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.