In his first term, President Obama boosted Pell grants and reformed federal financial aid in hopes of increasing college access for low-income students. Despite these efforts, there is another problem preventing the less privileged from getting an education – a disconnect between poor families, and the arcane bureaucracy surrounding the admissions process.
Sarah Carr is author of the new book “Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America’s Children.” An excerpt from that book featured in The Atlantic tells the story of one New Orleans high school’s efforts to bridge the admissions process gap.