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Declining public trust, rising inequality, and weaker civic participation are presented as interconnected failures rather than isolated issues. It argues that higher education is both a driver of economic mobility and, in its current form, a mechanism that entrenches an elite advantage by limiting completion for those who cannot afford full-time attendance. 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The report ties eroding trust and weakened civic engagement to unequal and incomplete educational opportunity.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What creates the college affordability–completion divide?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Two linked factors drive completion differences: exclusively full-time attendance and the financial resources that make that mode possible. Students who cannot afford full-time costs often work and typically attend part time, lowering completion rates.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"In what ways can higher education renew American democracy?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The report states higher education can help by ensuring more students graduate, promoting outcomes tied to civic engagement and democratic learning, and activating the student success community. 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Eroding public trust, increasing inequality, and weakening civic engagement are not separate issues; they are deeply interconnected, systemic problems that affect both higher education and a range of national institutions.  \nThe United States cannot hope to build a more just and equitable society without first reckoning with the failures of its colleges and universities. Higher education is a key part of both the problem and the solution. When higher education works well, it leads to better lives across a range of measures. But right now, U.S. higher education does not work well for everyone.  \nUnequal Education Opportunity Undermines Democracy  \nHigher education is an engine for economic mobility. Median annual earnings increase with education: Individuals who hold bachelor’s degrees earn  \n44 percent more than those who hold associate degrees and 63 percent more than those who complete only high school.1 A person living in the United States needs a college degree to have an income that even comes close to the U.S. median  \nwage—and in many states the median wage does not always cover rent and basic needs.2  \nHowever, the opportunity to complete college is not truly available to everyone. As a result, the American dream is not realistically attainable for everyone—a fact that undercuts the egalitarian ideals the United States proclaims.  \nThe United States Has a College Affordability–Completion Divide  \nTwo intertwined factors significantly affect completion rates: exclusively full-time attendance and the financial resources that make exclusively full-time attendance possible. Exclusively full-time college attendance correlates with higher completion levels.  \nBut attending college exclusively full time requires resources for tuition, living expenses, and often support for dependents. Most students cannot afford these costs, so they work. And students who work typically attend college part time. These factors create the college affordability–completion divide.  \nComplete College, America  \nHarnessing the Power of Higher Education to Renew American Democracy  \n1  \n1 National Center for Education Statistics. (2024, May). Annual earnings by educational attainment. [https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings)  \n2 Sternfield, M. (2023, August 31). This is how much singles need to live comfortably in every state. The Hill. [https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/4179830-this-is-how-much-singles-need-to-live-comfortably-in-every-state/](https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/4179830-this-is-how-much-singles-need-to-live-comfortably-in-every-state/)  \n[Visit ](Visit CompleteCollege.org/CompleteCollegeAmerica)[CompleteCollege.org/CompleteCollegeAmerica](Visit CompleteCollege.org/CompleteCollegeAmerica)RenewDemocracy to read the full report.  \nThe Connection Between Higher Education and Democracy  \nInstitutions that have significant money, have students with money, or both—because the two traits typically go together—have higher completion rates because they can bridge the college affordability–completion divide. And they do so because they have a higher proportion of students who attend college exclusively full time.  \nAs a result, higher education today is not functioning as an engine of economic mobility as much as it is perpetuating an elite upper class. Moreover, it isnot actively engaging students in civic education or helping students build the skills that are essential to participate in democracy. These systemic flaws in  \nU.S. higher education stand in opposition to a vibrant democracy.  \n The opportunity to complete college is not truly available to everyone. As a result, the Ameri","cbCaidQtBfJ1hXPz","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidQtBfJ1hXPz","pdf",152184,"English","# Summary\n## Unequal Education Opportunity Undermines Democracy\n## The United States Has a College Affordability–Completion Divide\n## The Connection Between Higher Education and Democracy\n## Higher Education Can and Must Help Renew American Democracy","[{\"question\":\"How does the report connect higher education problems to the health of American democracy?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that systemic flaws in higher education undermine civic education and participation, standing in opposition to a vibrant democracy. The report ties eroding trust and weakened civic engagement to unequal and incomplete educational opportunity.\"},{\"question\":\"What creates the college affordability–completion divide?\",\"answer\":\"Two linked factors drive completion differences: exclusively full-time attendance and the financial resources that make that mode possible. Students who cannot afford full-time costs often work and typically attend part time, lowering completion rates.\"},{\"question\":\"In what ways can higher education renew American democracy?\",\"answer\":\"The report states higher education can help by ensuring more students graduate, promoting outcomes tied to civic engagement and democratic learning, and activating the student success community. It also highlights the CLDE Coalition’s role in embedding civic learning and democratic engagement across postsecondary education.\"}]","Complete College, America - Summary - Harnessing the Power of Higher Education to Renew American Democracy | PDF",1792049414]