Educated Out: How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges-And What It Costs Them

Through the stories of nine rural, first-generation students and their families,Educated Outshows how geography shapes college opportunities, from admission to postgraduation options.

A former third-grade teacher in rural Tennessee, education researcher Mara Casey Tieken watched as her former students graduated high school. She was shocked at how few were heading to college-and none were going to elite four-year schools. These students were representative of a larger national phenomenon: In ...