Published: May 21, 2008

The Maze to the College Doorstep

My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.
– Hosea 4:6

A report from Chicago, cited in a March 19 article in the Christian Science Monitor ( "Why Good Students Don't Make It to College" ), describes a big problem in our secondary schools, and uses big numbers.

In a three-year study, University of Chicago researchers found that 83 percent of Chicago Public School students aspired to a four-year degree, but about 40 percent of those don't even apply to any four-year college. In many instances, these students were the first in their families with college aspirations and lacked the home or school support necessary to face down the daunting college admissions process, including what the Monitor described as "the often-overwhelming Free Application for Federal...