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Advocacy Student Aid Improvement
On Oct. 7, congressional staff and higher education and economic policy leaders gathered on Capitol Hill to discuss the proposals set forth in the Rethinking Student Aid study group report, “Fulfilling the Commitment: Recommendations for Reforming Federal Student Aid.” Co-chairs Sandy Baum of the College Board and Mike McPherson of the Spencer Foundation brought together a panel for the occasion that included Bridget Long of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a member of the study group; former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, now head of the Alliance for Excellent Education; David Breneman of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia; and Don Saleh of Syracuse University. The co-chairs presented their proposals, Long made the case for financial aid and the panel reacted to their statements. The recommendations are designed to dramatically improve the ways that students and their families think about, prepare for and invest in their futures — futures that include college success for many more students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds. Since its release, the report has generated considerable support. Stating that the current federal aid system “is broken,” Long declared “the stakes are too high to accept what we currently have. …We have to make the system better.” All of the group’s proposals put students first, Baum explained. They would not only help students begin college, but also achieve their degree objectives. Colleges would also benefit and be rewarded for the efforts they made to help Pell Grant recipients graduate. McPherson explained that the short-term goal of the study group is to generate challenging, comprehensive discussions on the proposals in the months to come. Breneman praised the student-focused effort because “most problems have stemmed from putting other entities ahead of students.” Playing devil’s advocate, he questioned how much government support the groups’ proposals were likely to garner from, for example, the IRS or the Office of Management and Budget. Saleh said low-income and would-be first-generation college students often have a difficult time envisioning themselves in college. Knowing early on that money will be available to them could help change that. Simplifying the system will help even those parents who are better informed understand aid formulas, too. Wise welcomed debate on the issues, but then asked for “aggressive consensus” and action. He made the case that the transition from K-12 to college should be seamless, and that students must believe that they can afford college. “Education is the only passport from poverty,” he added. A lively discussion followed. Among those who commented and asked questions were Ken Redd of NACUBO, Bill Schilling of the University of Pennsylvania, Bob Massa of Dickinson College, Zakiya Smith of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance and Derek Price of DVP-PRAXIS in Indiana.
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