Minding the Gap: The Future of Higher Education Equity through Primary and Secondary Schooling

Abstract: The Presidential Address critically reviews the growing inequalities in the U.S. higher education system, focusing on access and completion disparities among different socioeconomic and racial groups. Despite progress in increasing access to postsecondary education, significant gaps remain in its quality and the completion rates. K-12 and higher education is rather one interdependent system and access to postsecondary education shall start with equalizing schooling academic experience. Existing statewide programs that aligned school and postsecondary education are good examples on a local scale, but a systemic approach is needed to minimize inequalities across the country.