Thursday, September 26, 2013
NY Times: A Nudge to Poorer Students to Aim High on Colleges
1. http://nyti.ms/1fCywIH
2. Category of Problem/Issue identified in article: Education
3. Level of problem/issue: National
4. A potential policy that is being considered to help a problem/issue that individuals/families face.
5. Why this is important to individuals/families OR How does this affect individuals/families?
It's important because it allows lower income families to at least apply and consider a top university for their child who scored high on the SAT and Pre-SAT tests. With this program, more kids are more likely to take the SAT over the ACT test.
6. What are your views on the issue/policy?
I personally think this is a good attempt to promote the College Board, who administers SAT and A.P Tests. Right now, more students are choosing to take the ACT over the SAT. I was one of those students because the ACT was geared more to what my academic strengths were. The College Board realizes this and they're trying to change it. Like I said, I do feel like it's a good attempt because it does allow lower income students, who wouldn't normally even think of college, think of a top college in the country. So in theory, they would be breaking the favoritism and lobbying chain that exists even at the college levels. They could get more and more students that come from lower income families to attend their top university and excel greatly throughout school and after graduation.
Some of the problems that top universities are facing are financial reasons. These top universities want to keep their financial aid spending lower, of course. I forgot that most colleges view themselves as large corporations, trying to make as much of a profit as possible instead of trying to do what they were initially designed to do which is promote higher education. I see Texas State running this way as well. They refuse to either put in more parking spaces or even make some of the existing parking spaces commuter friendly spaces. In return, Texas State banks on the many students that are running late to class and parking where their sticker doesn't allow them to park because they just spent the last 45 minutes trying to find a spot where their sticker will allow them to park. Instead of using all that money they make off of already broke students to create more parking spaces, they use it to make aesthetically pleasing buildings and within those buildings, more coffee shops and other places to make money off of their already broke students. It's a vicious cycle that I personally can't wait to be done with this December. Back to the initial point, colleges in general need to help their students and future students instead of trying to make the maximum profit they can make. Top universities especially, need to behave this way. They already have 80% of their students coming from parents who make over $125,000 a year. Why not let the lower income students attend their university? Because the lower income students would have to survive off of financial aid and financial aid, is an expense. It's ridiculous. The College Board should further push their agenda.
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I think that it is great that College Board is sending packages of information from top colleges to those who are at the bottom quarter of the income distribution. I think that the information packets are a great idea because some students may not look into colleges because they think they do not have a chance. If College Board sends out these packages of information, maybe students who don't think that they have an opportunity to go to college, will see that they do. They are reaching out to help those that cannot afford to go to college or feel like it is out of reach for them. Some of these high school students have so much potential and work hard for excellent grades, but feel like they don't have the opportunity to go further in education than a high school degree. College Board is also starting to favor the ACT rather than the SAT, which some say highlight more of the public education. The package of information that the board is sending also come with application waivers for six colleges of the students choice. I think that is excellent. I personally never had problems with any of this because my financial aid office at my high school helped with waivers, college tours, and applications. I was very lucky. One of our classmates also got help from financial aid and got to attend Harvard, graduated in women's studies and was recently hired for Teach for America. I think coming from a middle class home to Graduating form Harvard and doing something positive, is a huge accomplishment. Some of those poorer students have more motivation to attend college and seek to better themselves, which in return, makes them work harder and not take for granted the education that they receive. The article also talks about how it wants to persuade more low-income minority students to take Advanced Placement classes. Our school offered A.P. classes and made it easier for students to get ahead in college without having to spend any money. It's a great opportunity for students to learn the material that is usually more dense, as well as pay only $10, for the A.P. exam, which could get them college credit, if passing. I think that all of these are great opportunities to come. Every student deserves a chance to further their education, especially those that really work hard for it.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that this a a great step towards improving what we do within our schools and how we are working towards more students getting further education. I love the passion that Mr. Coleman seems to show throughout his statements about this particular issue being of top priority. We need more men and women that have the attitude that Mr. Coleman has. He is strictly focused on the overall success of our students in this nation, and that is exactly what we need. The idea of giving low-income students the opportunity or even just the idea in their head of going on to college at a top university is amazing in itself. I personally grew up in a low-income family and was one of the first out of my family to push on and go on to college. I would have been so grateful if there was such a program as this when I was in high school and pursuing college. It was a difficult process for me, and I was lost throughout majority of the application process. I also will be living a life in debt. Won't we all be though? I stand behind the College Boards funds going toward this program and not just giving these students an idea or false hope, but the actual tangibility of the money that can be used for application fees and test taking.
ReplyDeleteI also agree greatly with Morgan’s few statements about the universities just not portraying or representing what their purpose is as a whole anymore. It IS all about money, an how much a school can profit. Of course they don’t want to fund low-income students to come and attend school because that is money out of their pocket. But imagine, a school funding several of those students; those students could be some of the most successful people that come into our world. You can’t categorize students and their abilities by the kind of home they come from. It is just not right. Every student should have an equal chance at further education and be able to receive those scholarships and additional funds to make that happen. Way to go College Board for showing that our education system and the people within it have not completely gone to nothing. I hope that this program only succeeds and continues to improve and grow!