This is from John Piazza and thank you John:
Guys,
This article sheds some light on the challenges facing a unique subset of our students who are from low socio-economic backgrounds–the 4%ers who end up getting full rides in fancy colleges–or into 4 year colleges at all. It tells a fascinating narrative of three super-motivated and bright girls who get to college, but then things become even more difficult and full of obstacles (many of them inner) that they were not prepared to deal with. Apparently, for these kinds of students, getting into college is the easy part, but most do not complete those degrees due to a variety of factors. Culturally, they are simply not prepared, and are very alienated. A bit depressing, but on the bright side, this article is asking us, once again, to re-think what it means to prepare our students (ALL of our students) to be successfull in the world out there, which is increasingly lacking in opportunities for all but a few who were raised knowing the rules and how to operate within that system. Once again, a reminder that it’s not about the content.