College students who have an interest in math, science or
certain foreign languages and who demonstrate financial need may
soon have a new source of federal aid.
Appearing at the same time as a proposed $12.7 billion cut in
federal student loans, a budget bill awaiting approval by the U.S.
House of Representatives would allocate $3.75 billion for college
aid to low-income students who have completed a certain course of
study in high school.
The new program, dubbed the Academic Competitiveness Grant
program, would grant federal financial aid to eligible students
based on their performance in certain high school courses
considered “rigorous” by Secretary of Education
Margaret Spellings, a designation that has not yet been
defined.
In an attempt to decrease the budget deficit and redirect
federal spending on education, the House Committee on Education and
the Workforce has suggested reforms aimed at making student loan
programs more efficient and awarding grants to high-achieving
low-income students.
For students’ first two years in college, their
eligibility “is based on their performance and the rigor of
their high school program,” said Steve Forde, spokesman for
the House committee.
As they advance toward earning a degree, students pursuing
studies in math, science, engineering and certain critical foreign
languages will be eligible to receive an Academic Competitiveness
Grant.
Low-income college freshmen and sophomores who completed a
rigorous course of study in high school and are eligible for Pell
Grants could receive between $750 and $1,300 per year.
Eligible juniors and seniors pursuing a degree in the physical
sciences, engineering or certain foreign languages would be awarded
$4,000 on a year-to-year basis.
Applicants must also have a 3.0 GPA and be a U.S. citizen to be
eligible for the grants.
Because students’ eligibility would be based in part on
the quality of their high school education, concerns have been
raised over the availability of federal financial aid for
lower-income students who attend high schools that do not offer
courses deemed by the Department of Education to be sufficiently
rigorous.
“I think it will present a lot of challenges because
it’s taking the emphasis off the individual student and
putting it onto the school,” said Penny Sommers, coordinator
of College Partnership and Curricular Enrichment for high schools
in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“I’m concerned that if financial aid for higher
education is awarded based on the school, rather than the
individual students’ needs, our students that are the most
needy will have to sacrifice the most,” she said.
Louise Jones, president of California Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators, said she is concerned about how the
term “rigorous” will be defined and how fairly the
grant money will be allocated.
She questioned whether the program will “be able to be
administered evenly or fairly across all high schools because some
of the high schools don’t have the rigorous
courses.”
The measure would also allow greater federal involvement in high
school education, which has typically been governed by local
authorities.
The U.S. Constitution does not define a role for the government
in education, and some educators have challenged the merits of its
potentially expanded role.
The Constitution implies that “the control of the schools
is the responsibility of local governments and the state, and this
(legislation) is going to change that,” Sommers said.
By increasing the emphasis on the study of math and science,
officials are hoping to keep America prominent in the global
competition in those fields of study.
“We are trying to improve our foundation for technology
and innovation as we compete with other countries around the
world,” Forde said.
President Bush stressed the importance of math and science in
the nation’s curriculum in a Q-and-A period following a
speech he gave on Monday at Kansas State University.
“I think that the key on education is to make sure that we
stay focused on how do we stay competitive into the 21st
century,” Bush said.
“I plan on doing some talking about math and science and
engineering programs so that people who graduate out of college
will have the skills necessary to compete in this competitive
world,” he said.
If neither math nor science is of interest to some students, a
major in certain foreign languages deemed critical to national
security would also qualify students to receive the new grant.
“The secretary of education would consult with the
director of national intelligence to determine foreign languages of
importance to national security,” Forde wrote in an
e-mail.
If the bill passes, the Department of Education would implement
the aid programs.
However, education officials are still unsure how they will
determine which high schools offer rigorous coursework, as well as
which students qualify for federal financial aid from those high
schools.
“We haven’t decided yet how we’re going to
talk to the states” about their schools, said Jane Glickman,
public affairs specialist for the secretary of education.
“We’ll have to talk to states and local school
districts about their programs, and I’m sure it will be based
on a set of standards they’ve established,” Glickman
said.
“Our job will be to make sure they’re valid
programs,” she said.
If the House passes the bill, President Bush is expected to sign
it.
With reports from Jennifer Mishory, Bruin
contributor.