College Access Opportunity or Privilege?

Michael S. McPhersonis president of The Spencer Foundation in Chicago, a foundation that researches how education can be improved. He is a former president of Macalester College in Minnesota. A nationally known economist who focuses on the interplay between education and economics, McPherson is the coauthor ofEconomic Analyses and Moral Philosophy. Morton Owen Schapirohas been president of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, since 2000. An authority on the economics of higher education, he has written more than 50 articles and has coauthored five books with Michael McPherson, includingThe Student Aid GameandKeeping College Affordable. America is often seen as a land of golden opportunity, but for many young people the statistics on college enrollment paint a different picture: Students from low-income families are less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, and low-income students who do attend a post-secondary institution are most likely to enroll in public community college rather than an elite school.College Access:Opportunity or Privilege'addresses the problem of unequal educational opportunity in the U.S. through essays and studies detailing the disadvantages of our country's low-income students. Back by quantitative data and expert analyses,College Accesshighlights the underlying problems while presenting opportunities for positive change. The authors, analysts of higher education and economic policy, discuss various models colleges can use to educate low-income students and argue that it is imperative to give these students full access to high cost colleges as well as low cost ones in order for the country to remain globally competitive. "Michael McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro have been joined by sixteen other scholars to produce an important and useful book that presents an integrated, data-rich view of the realities and issues regarding access to higher education in America. It considers three sweeping themes: the future of affirmative action in admissions, the financial and educational issues regarding college attendance by low-income students, and policy recommendations to improve college attendance by low-income level students. It is of great importance to policymakers and educational leaders."Charles M. Vest, Professor and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "Michael McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro have been joined by sixteen other scholars to produce an important and useful book that presents an integrated, data-rich view of the realities and issues regarding access to higher education in America. It considers three sweeping themes: the future of affirmative action in admissions, the financial and educational issues regarding college attendance by low-income students, and policy recommendations to improve college attendance by low-income level students. It is of great importance to policymakers and educational leaders."Charles M. Vest, Professor and President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "This book shines important new light on the issue of economic inequality in postsecondary education in the United States. But of equal importance, it shows practical ways for effectively tackling this devastating national problem. I hope it will serve as a spur for us to build the coalition that is needed to bring real change."Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education, and former Governor of West Virginia "Building on the contributions of the bookExcellence and Equity in American Higher Education,Collegetakes an important next step toward achieving access to college for low-income students. It gives us a comprehensive and nuanced look at the institutional, politiMcPherson, Michael S. is the author of 'College Access Opportunity or Privilege?' with ISBN 9780874477740 and ISBN 0874477743.