This post is from a blog written by Lou Glazer, the head of the organization called Michigan's Future Inc..Lou Glazer and I have been colleagues over the years in state government.
In this blog Lou writes:
"And although a college education is the great equalizer in the American economy, too often the definition of what constitutes whether a student is “college material” is fraught with class considerations. According to Paul Tough , who has written extensively and brilliantly about student success, only one-quarter of college freshmen from the lower half of the economic scale will go on to finish a degree. That statistic for children of parents in the top economic quartile? Approximately 90 percent."
This blog is making the point that colleges and universities must get better, much better, at making sure that when they recruit a high school student to come to their institution that they are making a commitment to that student (and their families) that the institution will do everything to make sure the student graduates with a degree. This includes not only standard retention programs for academic performance but programs that help students adjust to their new life. This is especially true for first gen students--they need someone who they can talk to about issues that come on a campus that no one in their family can address because they never have been part of a campus community.
This a good read.