The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students

What role do statistics and quantitative data play in The Privileged Poor? Should Jack have used more data or less data? Was it presented in the right context or not?

The Privileged Poor makes references to the “hidden curriculum” of colleges like Renowned. What are some examples of hidden curriculum? How does it impact students?

Why did Jack decide to cloak the school he studied in anonymity? What are the benefits of that decision? The drawbacks?

What role does Jack’s own life play in his research? Does his background help or hinder his argument?

What does Jack mean by the phrase “the Privileged Poor”? Which part of that identity seems more important in predicting a student’s success: the privilege part or the poor part?

How do students’ past experiences inform their reaction to life at Renowned? Consider students from all three of Jack’s groups—those who grew up upper-income and those from lower-income backgrounds.

Jack only interviews upper-income Black students rather than upper-income students of all races. Why did he make that decision? How does this impact his overall argument?

Who is the intended audience for this book? What information in the text indicates that?