From The Hechinger Report: “At every four-year public college in Illinois and Missouri with data available, for example, there was a gap of at least 14 percentage points between white and Black students in 2019. The state of Illinois has the sharpest disparities between Black and white students and ranks fourth worst for the gap between Latino and white students. … A range of reasons contribute to these gaps. Financial pressure — whether sheer lack of funds or the need to hold down a paying job while in college — is a primary reason. Spending excessive time in remedial classes that carry no college credit but drain financial aid is another. Many Black and Latino students may also drop out because they feel excluded or isolated.”
