College Education

The United States has one of the highest high-school dropout rates of any industrialized nation, with approximately 3 out of 10 students in public schools not graduating with a diploma.  Similar issues with graduation rates exist on the college level.  On average, across the nation, less than 60 percent of first-year students who enter a four-year college receive a degree from that institution within six years.

In contrast to the drumbeat of anti-immigrant attacks in past legislative sessions, this year has seen states across the country proposing in-state college tuition rates for undocumented students, a move mirrored by Congress' proposed DREAM Act, which was re-introduced at the federal level on March 25th.  

Today, the Progressive States Network is releasing a new report: The Anti-Immigrant Movement that Failed: Positive Integration Policies by States Still Far Outweigh Punitive Policies Aimed at New Immigrants.   The Executive Summary is available online, as well as the full report in PDF and HTML format.

The benefits of a post-secondary degree are plentiful.  For example, an employee with a four year college degree earns 60 percent more than a worker with only a high school diploma.  Paying for college, however, has become increasingly difficult for most American students and families.  The cost of higher education across the country is rapidly increasing, at almost double the rate of inflation, outstripping increases in financial aid and outpacing many families’ ability to pay.  The combination of these factors result in too many students being unable to earn or complete their degrees due to financial constraints.

By one estimate, the federal government spent over $367 billion in 2005 alone on subsidizing Americans' retirement savings and tax breaks to build up other assets like buying a home.  Unfortunately, those subsidies go overwhelmingly to those Americans who already have high-incomes; almost none of it goes to the poorest Americans who need the most help building the financial assets that can lead to long-term economic opportunities and security.

Right-wing interests have been mounting a political assault on university professors they do not like, led by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), which is promoting so-called "Intellectual Diversity" (ID) Legislation in various states across the country. The concept was pioneered by right-wing activist David Horowitz (see this profile site for more on Horowitz).