Some College, No Degree: Why So Many Americans Drop Out of College, and What to Do About It
From: American Public Media
Series: American RadioWorks: Focus on Education
Length: 54:00
Everyone knows there’s a high school dropout problem in the United States, but the college dropout rate is worse. Nearly a quarter of American adults started college but didn’t finish – about 37 million people. Now they’re being left behind in an economy increasingly focused on workers with degrees. American RadioWorks producer Emily Hanford examines why so many people start college but don’t graduate, what’s being done to bring them back, and whether a college degree is the answer for everyone.
More from American Public Media
Keyboard College: How Technology is Revolutionizing Higher Education
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Digital technologies are changing how many Americans go to college - from online courses to robo-tutors. Can these innovations make college cheaper and more accessible -- ...
Grit, Luck and Money: Preparing Kids for College and Getting Them Through
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Why are so many low-income students quitting college, and what leads a few to beat the odds and make it through? (8/30/2012)
Who Needs an English Major? The Future of Liberal Arts Education
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
The most popular college major in America these days is business. Does it pay to study liberal arts? (9/8/2011)
Don’t Lecture Me: Rethinking the Way College Students Learn
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Most college students spend a lot of time listening to lectures. But research shows there are better ways to learn. (9/1/2011)
Testing Teachers
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Kids need good teachers. It’s something people know instinctively. But experts disagree over how to measure teacher quality. (8/26/2010)
Rising by Degrees
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Young Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and they are among the least likely to graduate from college. (11/5/2009)
Early Lessons
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
There’s been a quiet revolution in America’s schools over recent decades. We’ve added an extra grade to a child’s education: Preschool. (10/29/2009)
Put to the Test
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
There’s been a dramatic change in public education over the past 10 years and it’s all about numbers. (9/6/2007)
The Rise of Phoenix: For-Profit Universities Shake Up the Academy
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
The rapid rise of career-oriented, for-profit colleges and universities has provoked heated debate about the costs, quality and purpose of higher education. (9/5/2012)
Cheryl Rogowski: Farm-to-Plate Innovator
(54:00)
From: American Public Media
Where does our food come from? Since we pay close attention to so many aspects of food in the holiday season, host Majora Carter visits Cheryl Rogowski, a fourth-generation ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Everyone knows there’s a high school dropout problem in the United States, but the college dropout rate is worse. Nearly a quarter of American adults started college but didn’t finish – about 37 million people. Now they’re being left behind in an economy increasingly focused on workers with degrees. American RadioWorks producer Emily Hanford examines why so many people start college but don’t graduate, what’s being done to bring them back, and whether a college degree is the answer for everyone.
Transcript
Transcript
Stephen Smith: From APM, American Public Media, this is an American RadioWorks documentary. More people in the United States are going to college than ever before.
Stan Jones: We have more minorities than we ever have, more low-income, more first generation students than we ever have.
But a lot drop out - often with big debts. Thirty-seven million Americans have some college, but no degree.
Miles Jones: In today's society I mean you can't get nowhere without a degree anymore. You can have the knowledge and the hands-on, and the experience to do it, you're still gonna get just the bare minimum.
Sallie Glickman: The pathways for just working hard and moving up, that just has completely evaporated.
This hour we explore why people quit college and why it's a national dilemma. Stay tuned for "Some College, No Degree" from American RadioWorks.
First, this news.
Part One
Step...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
00:00 - 01:00 (0:59 + :01 silence) Billboard outcue = "first, this news."
01:00 - 06:00 (5:00) NPR News hole, Music Bed.
06:00 - 32:32 (26:32) Part 1; outcue = "American Public Media."
32:32 - 33:32 (0:59 + :01 silence) Music Bed.
33:32 - 59:00 (25:28) Part 2; outcue = "American Public Media."
59:00 - 60:00 (1:00) silence [no silence segment on PRX]
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Thirty-seven million Americans are college dropouts -- that's nearly a quarter of all adults. Why do so many people start college but never finish, and what will it take to get them back? Here is “Some College, No Degree” – a new documentary from American RadioWorks.
OUTRO:Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Boy Blues | Triumph | Thunder Seven. | TML Entertainment | 2004 | 01:00 |
Additional Credits
Producer: Emily Hanford; Editor: Catherine Winter; Executive Editor and Host: Stephen Smith; Assistant Producer: Suzanne Pekow; Coordinating Producer: Ellen Guettler; Audio Mixing: Craig Thorson
Support for this program comes from Lumina Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.
Related Website
Of 2 purchasers of this piece...
- 2 also bought:
We Were On Duty (53:37) - 2 also bought:
The Kabbalah of Chanukah (55:54) - 2 also bought:
- 2 also bought:
Stories Make the World (58:56) - 2 also bought:
The Chieftains (59:01)
