{"id":1747,"date":"2018-01-22T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T14:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1747"},"modified":"2018-02-20T15:30:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T21:30:45","slug":"how-good-intentions-may-harm-first-generation-college-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/01\/22\/how-good-intentions-may-harm-first-generation-college-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Push for Completion May Harm First-Generation Students"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by COD Newsroom, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of the many<\/a> so-called crises<\/a> in higher ed<\/a>, University of Wisconsin-Superior recently announced its <\/span>plan to suspend 25 academic programs<\/span><\/a> (including sociology). Administrators claimed their decision is part of a larger effort in higher education institutions to decrease the time students spend in college in order to increase graduation rates and lessen debt for low-income, first-generation students. Social science research, however, suggests curriculum shifts may not address first-generation students’ needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First-generation students are more likely to come from low-income minority families, delay entry into college, attend college part-time, and work full-time while in school — all characteristics that reduce the likelihood of completing a degree. Only 27 percent of first-generation college students<\/a> at four-year institutions graduate in four years, compared to 42 percent of students whose parents graduated from college. And only five percent<\/a> of low-income, first-generation students who begin at two-year community colleges completed a bachelor\u2019s degree within six years. Further, first generation students often have limited access to the \u201ccultural capital<\/a>\u201d that privileges wealthier students.<\/h5>\n