In July of 2009, newly elected President Obama spoke in Jackson, Michigan, and declared, “Education is the way forward...” His administration’s proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2012 will limit access to higher education for countless working class students, while bringing the failed “Race to the Top” model used in K-12 to colleges and universities.
The administration proposes to ax $100 billion from federal higher education funding by restricting access to Pell Grants... The White House, which has trumpeted the fact that it will maintain the maximum grant award at $5,500, is proposing to change the scholarship rules such that students can receive only one grant a year, as opposed to two... most Pell Grants go to students with family incomes below $30,000 a year... The argument that their educational prospects will be unaffected by the loss of thousands of dollars of grant money every year is false.
The White House proposes to introduce the “Race to the Top” (RTTT) competitive funding model... The proposed federal budget’s strategy for forcing this model into higher education is entitled, “A ‘First in the World’ Competition Among Colleges and Universities...” What underlies both of these initiatives is a shift in federal funding formulas. Historically, money has been disbursed to higher education institutions on the basis of how many students they enroll... the White House proposes to finance colleges and universities on the basis of how many students complete their degrees.
What are the implications of this...? this will lead to a reduction in the number of lower-level and remedial courses offered at universities and colleges... In forcing colleges and universities to divert funding away from large lower-level and remedial courses towards more advanced classes, the federal government will make it harder for working class students with a weak high school education to get a college degree. There will not be enough slots in lower-level classes, and many will simply not have the skills to take on more advanced coursework. Those who are unable to succeed in the new environment will be labeled as failures and the public schools will be further blamed for not producing “college-ready” students...
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/high-m21.shtml