Nine out of 10 college freshmen from the top quarter of incomes graduate by age 24. But for low-income kids, it’s less than three out of 10. Writer Paul Tough spent six months at the University of Texas at Austin exploring why for his New York Times Magazine article, “The Graduation Gap.”
Speaking with Sam Baker as part of KERA’s American Graduate project, Tough said the high cost of college and lack of preparation in grade school can hurt, but there’s also a psychological factor working against low income students.
