Tough, Paul. The Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019
In this book, Paul Tough turns his investigative journalism skills to the issue of social inequalities in higher education. He offers a thoughtful analysis of the ways in which the higher education system makes it extremely difficult for bright, hardworking children from low socio-economic backgrounds to gain access to colleges and universities. Incorporating the stories of young, striving students, he illuminates the pain and frustrations that they often experience if they do manage to enroll in college. Citing studies of matriculation and graduation rates, he lays bare the discriminatory reality behind the claims of campus diversity. He critiques the claims that the SAT is a more reliable predictor of college success than a student’s high school grades and that the standardized test offers an objective criterion for admitting or rejecting college applicants. Through vignettes of programs, he illustrates the types of support that can lead to successful completion of college among economically disadvantaged students. He contrasts the social values that made the GI Bill possible with the eroding commitment of public funds for higher education. He concludes with a challenge to all of us–if a college degree is necessary to lift individuals and families out of poverty, then what obligation do we as a society have to make this a feasible opportunity.