It’s been an eventful week for our education policy fellows and contributors here at The Century Foundation.

Senior Fellow Rick Kahlenberg kicked off the week by asking “How Much Do You Pay for College?” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. There Rick points out that it’s socioeconomic status—not race—that continues to be the biggest and least talked about factor in college admissions and diversity. The Wall Street Journal is reading Rick’s piece. We think you probably should be, too.

On Wednesday, Michael Gaddis, a contributor to Blog of the Century, responds to Kahlenberg by reminding us that, while socioeconomic status is important, race continues to contribute to educational inequality.

For the more visually inclined, creative associate Abby Grimshaw’s infographic, “Why Class Means More Than Race in College Admissions” pulls together statistics from work by Kahlenberg and Century policy associate Halley Potter.

On the early education front, Greg Anrig, Century’s Vice President for Policy and Programs, sorts out the early childhood research on universal pre-K programs. Greg argues persuasively that universal pre-K is cheaper than many critics think.

But the good news on the education front doesn’t stop with our policy work. We are also very excited to announce that Rick will receive the William A. Kaplin Award from the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy. The award recognizes Rick’s scholarship at the intersection of law and public policy—work that has led some to call him “the intellectual father of the economic integration movement.”

Not to be outdone, Michael has also just been appointed to a two-year stint as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at the University of Michigan. He’ll spend his time studying mental health among college students.

Congratulations Rick and Michael.

Now go check out our work on education policy. And be sure to check back in at tcf.org for the smartest progressive policy analysis on the web.