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Authors, sign in!In San Francisco, there is a new promise for middle school students, "Qualify for college and you'll have a reserved seat as well as financial aid when you get there."
Despite the current economic crises, three middle schools are promising students who "sign the 'Save Me a Spot in College' pledge - and later meet entrance and eligibility requirements - will receive a fee waiver for two or more years at a California community college, as long as the student continues to show financial need."
Students who qualify for financial aid would be able to receive college funding anyway, but San Francisco sees it as an opportunity to provide "motivation as well as increased college-preparatory support through high school."
Right now colleges are cutting back on offered courses and admitting fewer students due to cash-strapped institutions. However, as they look forward, they are hoping to create the even bigger problem of having so many students qualifying for college that they will be forced to fix that problem.
I think anything that promises and guarantees a future in education is great. It's not a charitable act. The students would have to qualify (which can be a big task...and which is why I would hope the school system is stepping up to that plate). By providing the offer in junior high, kids have an opportunity to begin working toward their goals, not having to worry about finding the funding and figuring out the system....a daunting task for kids and parents who have no experience with the massive amounts of paperwork and small print it takes to get into college.
Wouldn't it be nice to offer that guarantee to all kids?
Published March 22, 2009 by Janet Morrison |
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| Tags:
California
College
Education
Poverty
Comments (2)
Offering that guarantee to all kids would be nice, indeed!
I do not understand why colleges are cutting back now -- although I know that they are. A recession means an increase in the number of people seeking training or retraining: an increase in business for colleges. I am worried that colleges are cutting back because they believe that we are in a depression rather than a recession! In a depression people are too busy with short-term survival to attend to long-term benefits, such as college offers.
Posted by Peter Tramel
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March 23, 2009 7:06 AM
Posted on March 23, 2009 07:06
Here's my opinion about why colleges are cutting back. First, there's less money flowing from our income taxes to the federal government then on to the state governments. Most of the universities are supported by state governments.
OK. So there's less money. But instead of the university presidents cinching their belts, they are cutting services.
They should take a page out of the play books of hospitals. When revenue to hospitals is reduced, hospitals are forced to instantaneously adjust their monthly expenditures so that their monthly expenses won't exceed the forcasted monthly revenues. HOWEVER, and this is important, hospitals do not cut back on essential patient services or keep their licensed staff from giving quality service. There's always fat that can be cut without cutting the services that make up the mission of the organization. For hospitals, it's patient care and for universities, its' classes.
The universities are doing differently and poorly. They are cutting classes, services and the things that students need. It appears to me that they are doing this for one of two reasons:
1. They are inept, and/or
2. They think that if they cut student educational services that the outrage will be so great that somebody will go get them some more tax money.
What they don't seem to be doing is - cutting their expenses smartly.
I lob this criticism to not just universities but many public school systems that are not using their brains right now. Most want to increase our taxes. This is not the time to tax us. Not when so many people are already finding their property taxes unaffordable and so many are losing their homes.
Posted by Nora Thomason
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March 23, 2009 12:10 PM
Posted on March 23, 2009 12:10