OurFuture.org Blogs: Alex Carter

Remembering "The Father of Pell Grants"

Alex Carter — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:58:59 -0800

On January 1, 2009, former Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) died at the age of 90. Known as the “father of Pell Grants,” Senator Pell was instrumental in helping low and moderate income students attend college, with the creation of Basic Educational Opportunity Grants in 1972, which were renamed “Pell Grants” in 1980.

The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post-baccalaureate students to promote access to post-secondary education. In 2006-07, the Pell Grant was provided to over 5.1 million needy students and is estimated to increase to 5.4 million needy students in 2007-08. Since its creation, the Pell Grant Program is credited with helping over 54 million students attend college.

But Pell's legacy is endangered by today's economic realities. The creation of the Pell Grant was key to college affordability. During its early years, the Pell Grant covered 72% of the total cost of a public year-year institution. Today it only covers about 34%. Strides are being made, though. In 2007, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act passed, mandating Pell Grant Increases through 2017. President-Elect Barack Obama has vowed expand Pell Grants for low-income students and ensure that Pell Grants keep pace with the rising cost of college.

As we remember Senator Pell, and the strides he made to make college more affordable and accessible to low and moderate income students and families, let us also honor him by making sure that the Pell Grant will continue to make higher education accessible to all.

Senator Pell's legacy was and is a great investment in America’s future, and one that shouldn't be forgotten as we work towards economic recovery.

New U.S. Census Data: Same Reality

Alex Carter — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:27:42 -0700

Newly released data by the United States Census Bureau continues to show how much President George W. Bush has ravaged the American economic landscape.

Since 2000, median income has decreased 1 percent. That decline is magnified by the higher costs for energy, food and other items during that period; what families could buy for a dollar in 2000 now costs $1.25.

For some racial and ethnic groups, the burden is even heavier. In 2007, the median income for white people was $54,920; the median income for African Americans was more than $21,000 less. Median income for Hispanics was more than $16,000 less. Since 2000, white median income has decreased $12; for African Americans it has decreased $1,804, for Hispanics it has decreased $1,256, and for Asians it has decreased $1,030. Those are huge disparities that continue to lay bare the racial and ethnic inequality of America. There is no way around it.

Poverty follows a similar pattern. Since 2000, the number of people in poverty has increased by 5.7 million; the number of families in poverty has increased by 1.2 million, and the number of children in poverty has increased by 1.7 million. In 2007; 37.3 million people are suffering in poverty.

Almost 25 percent of African Americans and 22 percent of Hispanics lived in poverty in 2007. They do not want to be told the fundamentals of the economy are strong—or only have poverty addressed when a hurricane slams into poor and underrepresented communities and their faces, names, and stories become fodder for the 24-hour cable news channels. They want the American consciousness and political system to recognize their plight and put forth real policies to remedy this evil.

On health care, it's more of the same. Since 2000, the number of uninsured in America has increased by 7.3 million and those not covered equal 15.3 percent of the population. The percentages of Hispanics and African Americans without health care are well above the national average.

Nationally, the economy and the conditions for working people are worse since President Bush took office. Haven’t we learned that trickle-down economics does not work? We must revive our economy, take back our industries, and promote economic opportunity for all. Bush is definitely leaving us with a bang: In his last year; our economy is in a recession (even though the administration doesn’t want to admit it), families are poorer, people are losing their homes, energy costs are sky high and we continue to put billions and billions of dollars into the Iraq War—when we need strong investment here in the United States.

Be ready for the United States Census Bureau to release its 2008 data in August 2009. The data will continue to paint a very bleak picture: the poor will be poorer, the number of uninsured will be higher, and America will try to rebuild itself after eight years of economic terror. At that time, the progressive movement must be ready to reassure working-class families that the rescue—investments in our people, our common property and in the green energy that will power the fuure; economic policies that end the upward redistribution of wealth; the end of billions of dollars being sent to Iraq; and the empowerment of workers—is on its way.

Making Sense of the Rising Cost of College

Alex Carter — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:45:39 -0700

As college students celebrate graduation this May, their joy is combined with the harsh reality they face post-graduation--many of these students will graduate with unmanageable levels of loan debt that they can not afford basic necessities. Conservatives will tell you they are dedicated to expanding educational opportunities and in the same breath let the banking and student loan industry know, “I have all of you in my two trusted hands.”

The basics are clear:

- When Bush took office in January 2001, the cost of tuition at a public four year institution was $3,501. The cost of tuition in 2006-07 was $5,685 —an increase of 39%; even at the same time median household income has decreased 2% .
- The social safety nets are failing under Bush’s watch: over 400,000 qualified high school graduates can not attend college each year because of its burdensome cost, the Pell Grant only covers 33% of a student’s annual college costs (in 1975, the Pell Grant covered 84%) , and he stripped over $12 billion from the federal student loan program to fund his tax cuts for the wealthy.

The connections are clear as well; President Bush and conservatives did everything to fatten the pockets of the bank and loan industry while ignoring the plight of qualified high school graduates obtaining a college education. Conservatives did nothing to help promote college affordability and accessibility for years. Pell Grants remained at the same level, affordability was not addressed, and state-tuition levels continued to skyrocket. Bush’s yearly budgets contained massive cuts in higher education funding and favorable policies to the $85 billion private student loan industry.

However, Bush and conservatives made sure the bank and loan industry was taken care of. The private student loan industry’s cozy relationship with Republicans and their “Raid on Student Aid” was of no coincidence. During the tenure of former Chairman of the Committee on Education and Workforce Rep. Job Boehner (R-OH) told the Consumer Bankers Association,

“Relax. Stay calm…at the end of the day, I believe you’ll be at least satisfied, or even perhaps happy….
Know that I have all of you in my two trusted hands.”

It just so happened, the student loan industry contributed over $290,000 to Boehner’s PAC and the private student loan goliath Sallie Mae was the number one contributor to his campaign in the 2003-04 election cycle.

We must continue to connect the dots; Bush and conservatives in Congress do not care about college accessibility and affordability; however, they place the banking and loan industry in their “two trusted hands.”

For more about the college aid issue, click here (www.ourfuture.org/makingsense2008)

Education: Losing Ground in Global Competitiveness

Alex Carter — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:45:45 -0700

Newly released data by the Department of Education illuminates the educational landscape of America. There is much for progressives to feel good about; enrollment in Pre-K programs has dramatically increased since 1980; the pupil-to-teacher ratio is declining—meaning classrooms are not as packed as before (even though overcrowding is a major problem for urban school districts); the number of high school students graduating continues to grow, and the number of people over the age of 25 with a high school, bachelor’s or graduate degree has increased as well.

However, some disturbing findings in this report underscore vital needs of our education system that have not truly been addressed: teacher’s salary increased only 1%-after inflation since 1995-96. The result is that inadequate pay leads to a disastrous teacher retention rate. In addition to being underpaid, teachers are forced to spend their own money for classroom supplies —because otherwise their students just won’t have them—on top of paying off college loans and the cost of living.

The report also finds that the average reading score of 17-year old students is the same in 2004 as it was in 1971. These students are at a transition stage from which they will take their education into real-world application or continue to college—however, the lack of improvement in reading skills leaves them—— unprepared for most future endeavors.

Finally, the most troubling news is about how our educational system compares with the rest of the world. The Department of Education provides statistics of the United States ranking in comparison of other countries educational systems in four areas: mathematics, reading, science, and problem solving. The results are astonishing.

• Mathematics—The United States ranks 25th out of the 30 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is well below the average score.
• Reading—The United States ranks 16th out of the 30 OECD countries and barely beat the average score (by 1 point).
• Science—The United States ranks 20th out of the 30 OECD countries and is well below the average score.
• Problem Solving—The United States ranks 25th out of the 30 OECD counties and is well below the average score.

In comparison to previous years, the United States is making improvements at home. Compared to the rest of the world, we are losing ground.

College Costs: Reality Bites Again

Alex Carter — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:16:10 -0700

The College Board this week released its new Trends in Higher Education report, and it shows how our lack of public investment is putting a college education out of reach of working families.

The report examines college costs, financial aid, and the importance of a college education. It notes that while for the 2007-2008 school year tuition increases at four-year colleges are not as high as they have been for the past five years, total federal grant funding for undergraduates has still not caught up, when inflation is taken into account. In fact, the report says, "total federal grant funding to undergraduates was still lower in 2006-07 than it was three years earlier, after adjusting for inflation."

This is happening at the same time legislatures in many states are not appropriating enough funds to cover legitimate increased education costs.

The College Board report makes clear why the College Cost Reduction and Access Act is needed:

Tuition and fees at public and private universities rose at a rate of more than double the rate of inflation.
While undergraduate federal borrowing declined from 2005 to 2007, private undergraduate loans grew 12 percent during the same period.
There is a positive correlation between higher levels of education and higher earnings for all ethnic groups, and graduates are more likely to have employer-provided health and insurance and pension benefits.

The importance of a college education cannot be overstressed. As tuition rates rise and median household incomes decline—median household income for African Americans, for example, has declined 8 percent from 2000 to 2006—college education is needed more than ever in this age of technological advancement.

That is why it is important to support grassroots organizations in the struggle to make college more affordable, such as the Campaign for College Affordability. Critical to the effort to keep college education affordable and accessible is to promote federal loan programs instead of the private loan industry and to hold state legislatures accountable for adequately funding higher education.

Bush Exceeds His Credit Limit

Alex Carter — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:00:13 -0700

On Thursday, President Bush took credit for signing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. His claims stand history on its head. Bush said the bill:

"[E]xpands one of America's most important and successful education initiatives—the Federal Pell Grant Program. For the last six years, I've worked to make sure that we expand Pell Grants."

He seems to have forgotten that he was president during the last six years. President Bush and the Republicans, when they were in the majority in Congress, repeatedly defeated Democratic attempts to increase Pell grants. Since 2001, Pell Grant maximum awards to individuals have fallen by $99. In the past three years, total Federal Pell Grant expenditures declined by $1 billion.

Bush even threatened to veto the bill he is now taking credit for. But a majority of Republicans recognized the change in the political winds and signed onto the Democratic legislation, giving it a veto- proof majority. Only then did he decide to sign it.

How dare President Bush take credit for this piece of progressive legislation? The real heroes are leaders Rep. George Miller and Sen. Edward Kennedy, and thhe grassroots coalition, the Campaign for College Affordability.