The College Dropout Scandal

FEATURING DAVID KIRP – While the cost of attending college in the US is a burgeoning problem – one that burden millions of students with un-payable debts – a lesser-discussed college-related scandal is graduation rates.

College dropout rates in the United States are appallingly high – lower than most of us realize. Overall about 40% of people enrolled in 4-year colleges or universities will graduate within a 6-year period. For students of color, especially African American and Latinx, the number is even higher.

David Kirp has written about this scandal in a book examining the factors that keep students from graduating and exploring the models that have worked.

David Kirp, Professor at UC Berkeley, contributing writer at the New York Times, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Education. His earlier book is Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for America’s Schools. His newest book is The College Dropout Scandal.