Getting College Students to the Finish Line

More than 2 million high school graduates begin college every year. Yet only 60 percent of four-year college students finish their degree within six years, and less than 40 percent of community college students graduate or transfer to four-year institutions. UC Berkeley professor David Kirp, who details these issues in his latest book “The College Dropout Scandal,” believes colleges and universities need to do a better job of retaining students, and that changes like redesigning big lecture classes and minigrants to juniors and seniors could help. Kirp joins Forum to discuss his book and more of his ideas for decreasing college dropout rates.