Elite schools and the media
“There is such a radical focus, overemphasis on elite schools in the American media,” says Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief of The Washington Monthly, on the latest episode of GBH‘s podcast College Uncovered. “It’s hard to sell a story about a school that’s a regional public university or a community college. Good luck with that. Yet these are the places where 90% of Americans get their degrees. So it’s just bizarre — the disproportionate emphasis on schools that cater predominantly to the affluent in small numbers and ignoring the institutions that literally lift the country up.” Many of these institutions that serve the most Americans are struggling in the shadows. In this episode, we explore how colleges might preserve their missions even if the institutions themselves close.
