Tuesday Open Thread
Great op-ed from the NY Times on how basic (and fairly inexpensive) things can make the difference for low-income kids of all ages. When people ask me, "What would you do?" these are the kinds of things shown to work that I support. - While they were graduate students at Harvard, two young professors designed and tested a program to help students stick to their college plans. Benjamin L. Castleman, now at the University of Virginia, and Lindsay C. Page, at the University of Pittsburgh, set up a system of automatic, personalized text messages that reminded high school students about their college deadlines. The texts included links to required forms and live counselors. -The same researchers also tested a texting program to keep students from dropping out of college. The problem is important because the graduation rate of low-income college students is dismally low; two-thirds leave without a degree. Community college students received texts reminding them t...