Do We Need More College Graduates?

Abstract

President Obama has launched a major initiative hoping to increase the number of young people with college degrees. The article argues that more degrees would be desirable if more lower income students obtained them, because without a college degree social mobility can be difficult. However, the task will not be easy when one considers the important external factors related to degree completion including the quality of high school, parental income and wealth, and amount of schooling of the parent(s). The article concludes that early intervention programs offer the best opportunity to increase the number of degree holders from lower income families.