"Economy lifting college prospects of the well-heeled" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | February 24, 2009
For students applying to college, it's a very good year to have strong grades and deep pockets. Especially the latter. As colleges and universities provide more financial aid to families hit by the recession, they are also more likely to give wealthier students preference in admissions and scholarships to help offset that extra cost, according to college administrators and consultants.
That's something new?
"The full-pay kid this year is going to be at a premium," said Frank Vellaccio, senior vice president at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, which does not consider finances in admissions decisions. "Those students are going to have a lot more choices now and will get into schools that they might not have normally."
To widely varying degrees, colleges consider students' financial means when they assemble incoming classes. But the dismal economy and problems in the credit market have complicated these calculations and renewed questions about economic disparities on campuses.
Outside the wealthiest sliver of colleges, whose so called need-blind practices are not expected to change substantially, most institutions are struggling to balance the growing demand for financial aid with their budget constraints. In effect, they need more students who do not need financial aid to subsidize the rising need of those who do.
That puts wealthier students at an advantage at smaller private institutions that rely heavily on tuition income. Not only are they more likely to be accepted, they also stand to receive more scholarships to sweeten the offer.
The RICHERS getting the SCHOLARSHIPS, too, huh?
Related: U.S. College Aid to Go to Wealthy Students
Colleges with modest endowments, in particular, acknowledge they must base some admission and scholarship decisions on students' ability to pay, especially in the current downturn.
"If students are going to need a huge amount of money, that's not a practical expense for us," said Michele Kosboth, director of student financial planning at Lasell College in Newton, which charges $23,000 in tuition. "We're not going to be able to help them as much as they need."
Not only do I want SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE, now I want FREE EDUCATION through COLLEGE, too. FUCK THIS!!!
Morton Schapiro, president of Williams College in Williamstown and an economist who specializes in higher education finance, said there has "never been a better time to be a smart, rich kid. And at some schools, you don't have to be as smart as you did before. That's what happens in a recession."
My first thought: George W. Bush!
Schapiro referred not to his own institution, a top-tier private school that meets the full financial need of its students, but to the vast majority of schools that must base admissions decisions - at least in part - on financial means. He predicted that colleges would find ways to boost tuition revenue. Some will require students to borrow more money and pay more of their summer and work-study earnings, for example, and others will ask parents to contribute more....
But we got TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS for BANK BAILOUTS and WAR LOOTERS!!!!!!
That step gives colleges, which have been forced to lay off workers, slash budgets, and delay construction, some badly needed financial flexibility and allows them to protect or expand financial aid....
A good portion of this aid goes to wealthier students....
This WHOLE SOCIETY is based on SERVICING the RICH -- despite the cultural and MSM bullshit!?
--more--"
Not only are you not getting the money, kiddo, but they made the financial aid form ultra-confusing for you!! Nothing like GOVERNMENT HELPING YOU OUT!
NEW YORK - Most everyone agrees that something is very wrong with the six-page federal form for families seeking help with college costs.
Created in 1992 to simplify applying for financial aid, it has become so intimidating - with more than 100 questions - that critics say it scares off the very families most in need, preventing some teenagers from going to college.
Are you sure that isn't the POINT? See: No Draft Needed
Ever notice that EVERY TIME government says they are going to "simplify" things they MAKE IT WORSE?
Then, too, some families have begun paying for professional help with the form, known as the FAFSA, a situation that specialists say indicates just how far awry the whole process has gone.
"We're getting thousands of calls a day," said Craig V. Carroll, chief executive of Student Financial Aid Services Inc., whose FAFSA.com charges $80 to $100 to fill out the form. "Our calls for the month of January are up about 35 percent from last year. There's been a huge increase in the desperation of families."
Last year, Congress ordered the form streamlined, but in the very same bill it added seven new questions.
THAT'S CONGRESS for you!!!
Critics say that even when all those questions are answered, the form does a poor job of assessing financial worth, both because it excludes assets like cars, boats, the family home, and some family businesses, and because it does not factor in the high cost of living in areas like New York.
On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama promised to eliminate the form - officially, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. And his secretary of education, Arne Duncan, talked about the problem at his confirmation hearing, saying, "You basically have to have a PhD to figure that thing out."
But whether it will be replaced soon, and with what, remains an open question. Between the recession and the rising cost of college, more families than ever are filing the forms this year, their first step toward Pell grants, Stafford loans, Perkins loans, work-study programs, and much state aid....
And the poor kids?
"Students voice concerns about budget cuts; Hundreds attend forum with board" by Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent | March 6, 2009
Angered and confused by inevitable school budget cuts, several hundred Boston public schools students gathered yesterday afternoon at English High School in Jamaica Plain to question their representatives and propose their own money-saving ideas.
"We felt that only adults have had a say, but this is mainly affecting the youth, and they should have a say in this," said Samantha Brea, 15, of Snowden International High School and a member of the Hyde Square Task Force. "I feel it's been a good turnout, mostly youth, to show that we care, that we are not selfish."
Yes, I think KIDS SHOULD HAVE a SAY in THEIR EDUCATION, don't you?
Five youth-serving organizations, including the task force, proposed the idea for, and led, the two-hour budget forum before the School Committee and Superintendent Carol R. Johnson.
The Hyde Square Task Force, based in Jamaica Plain, provides community-building and youth development activities for young adults. The forum was driven by student concerns over how budget cuts would affect their college preparation, said Lorena Lopera, community organizer for Sociedad Latina, a Roxbury social club dedicated to helping Latino youth discover what is positive within themselves and their community.
How come there is nothing dedicated to helping American kids?
Audience members asked the panel about layoffs, program cuts, how budget money is used, where it comes from, and how students can influence some of the board's decisions.
One student asked whether the school lunch program could be cut, contending that few students participate. She asked because her grandmother, who works for the school system, is facing layoffs and is the family's only source of income.
Trillions for.... awww, never mind!!!!!!!
David Magrass, a junior at Boston Latin, said he did not understand why arts programs were facing cuts, while unpopular classes in the classics were still being offered. "How can we as a student body affect these decisions?" he asked the panel.
Related: Why the Arts Are Important
Helen Dájer, a member of the School Committee, promised students that if they gained enough support to bring a proposal to the board, she would work to make the change.
City Councilor and mayoral candidate Sam Yoon said he found the event "tremendous and inspiring," but believed it would have "limited influence on the school budget" because the students were not targeting "the right person."
"The most important person in this debate is the mayor because the mayor himself decides how much revenue the schools get," Yoon said.
Johnson reassured students that the committee is working to make cuts in the central office to avoid layoffs of teachers, "because we think that is a very important part of making sure you get exactly what you need."
As they whack away while the state sends taxpayer dough out the door!
She also outlined money-saving tactics the committee has proposed, including elementary school closings and improved conservation of utilities. In addition, Johnson said the board has utilized resources, including Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking for help in prioritizing resources.
But Marchelle Raynor, a member of the School Committee, interjected, reminding board members that the purpose of the forum was to discuss alternative tactics. "We may have to dig deep and find new paradigms to educate ourselves," she said....
And it can't involve money.
--more--"
Or if it does, the charter schools get the dough because they are flush with cash in this state (while our public schools crumble).
"
WASHINGTON - President Obama called yesterday for tying teachers' pay to students' performance and expanding innovative charter schools, embracing ideas that have provoked hostility from members of teachers unions. He also suggested longer school days - and years - to help America's children compete in the world.
Oh, I'm sure kids just love that thought!
In his presidency's first big speech on education, Obama said the United States must drastically improve student achievement to regain lost international standing. He highlighted progress in Massachusetts.
?????????
"The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens," he said at the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "We have everything we need to be that nation . . . and yet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us."
How about REIGNING IN and ENDING the EMPIRE as well as TELLING the TRUTH about 9/11 and TERROR for STARTERS, 'eh?
His solutions include teacher pay and charter school proposals that have met resistance among members of teachers unions, which constitute an important segment of the Democratic Party....
***********************
There also has been considerable friction over charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently, free from some of the rules that constrain regular schools. Many teachers are concerned that such schools drain money and talent from regular schools.
They aren't "public" schools anymore, they are "regular" schools? WTF?! And the $$$ part is CERTAINLY TRUE!! Seen it wit' my own eye!
However, Obama said that state limits on numbers of charter schools aren't "good for our children, our economy or our country" and that many of the innovations in education today are happening in charter schools. He also advocated longer school days and school years, saying that "the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
Here that, kiddo? The SHINING BEACON of HOPE and CHANGE YOU BELIEVED IN has now done a 180 and is MAKING DEMANDS of YOU!!!!
In giving the speech at the Hispanic Chamber, he underscored the need to boost academic performance, especially among Latino and black children who sometimes lag behind their white counterparts.
Oh, that's including us all, 'eh?
I've read stuff on the internet how this is all a big affirmative action, reverse-discrimination thing. I don't want to believe it; however, it would FIT IN PERFECTLY with the GLOBALIST AGENDA, race factor or no!!! This is ECONOMIC, too, ya' know?
That's why I OPPOSE certain things like ILLEGALS! NOT on RACE or PERSON GROUNDS, but to OPPOSE the AGENDA in ALL ITS FORMS!
Bush's No Child Left Behind law aimed to close that achievement gap, but progress has been slow, and Obama says his administration can do better. His education agenda reflects Obama's campaign platform.
--more--"
Gee, sounds like NCLB is NOT going to CHANGE much under OBAMA, either!! Hey, what's one more retraction of an implied -- but never verbalized -- promise?
Thanks, 'bamer.
