Upward Mobility
As soon as Democrats take over Congress they must begin to do something about the fact that millions of poor and working-class youth have been priced out of higher education. The first step would be to increase the value of federal Pell Grant programs. Pell Grants were designed to keep college affordable, but it’s been shamefully underfund. A first step would be to increase the value of federal Pell Grant programs.
Pell Grants can’t solve this crisis without policy changes made in the states. Public universities have been cutting off college access for the poor by shifting away from the traditional need-based aid formula to a “merit formula” that heavily favors affluent students. Consequently, many high-performing low-income students are unable to attend college.
Public universities were founded on the premise that they would provide broad access to college in exchange for taxpayer subsidies. However, state flagship campuses seem to view themselves as semiprivate colleges and have begun defining success, by how many applicants they turn away, and how many of their students achieve the highest SAT scores. The SAT test scores favor affluent teenagers who attend the best schools and have access to tutors.
State flagship schools compete for the high-income, high-achieving students who would otherwise attend private colleges and have been overlooking low-income students who are perfectly able to succeed at college, but have limited options.
Recently, aid to students whose families earn over $100,000 has more than quadrupled at public colleges and universities. The average institutional grant to students from high-income families is larger than the average grant to low and middle income families. Consequently, high performing students from low-income groups are much less likely to attend college and if they do often drop out for financial reasons.
A college degree is the key to becoming a member of the middle class and enables Americans to success in the new global economy. Unless the country reverses this trend, upward mobility through public higher education will come to a halt.
Pell Grants can’t solve this crisis without policy changes made in the states. Public universities have been cutting off college access for the poor by shifting away from the traditional need-based aid formula to a “merit formula” that heavily favors affluent students. Consequently, many high-performing low-income students are unable to attend college.
Public universities were founded on the premise that they would provide broad access to college in exchange for taxpayer subsidies. However, state flagship campuses seem to view themselves as semiprivate colleges and have begun defining success, by how many applicants they turn away, and how many of their students achieve the highest SAT scores. The SAT test scores favor affluent teenagers who attend the best schools and have access to tutors.
State flagship schools compete for the high-income, high-achieving students who would otherwise attend private colleges and have been overlooking low-income students who are perfectly able to succeed at college, but have limited options.
Recently, aid to students whose families earn over $100,000 has more than quadrupled at public colleges and universities. The average institutional grant to students from high-income families is larger than the average grant to low and middle income families. Consequently, high performing students from low-income groups are much less likely to attend college and if they do often drop out for financial reasons.
A college degree is the key to becoming a member of the middle class and enables Americans to success in the new global economy. Unless the country reverses this trend, upward mobility through public higher education will come to a halt.
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