Dive Brief:

• Writing for the New York Times, David L. Kirp argues that students who do not finish college are a huge drag on the nation's economy, but he proposes a solution. 
• Kirp says that graduation rates can double if undergraduates receive attention of the sort that students at elite schools receive.
• When the City University of New York created a program with a support system for students, students in that program graduated at a rate of 56%, versus 23% for students outside of that program.

Dive Insight:

The first question on lavishing extra attention on college students has to be money. Kirp addresses this by saying that a study found that the investment pays off in the form of eventual increased tax revenues, as well as less money spent on public assistance and health care.