U.S. Flunks Higher Education Affordability

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20040915/ap_on_re_us/grading_higher_ed

<snip>

While noting progress in areas such as student preparation, the biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education drops the country to an "F" in affordability from the "D" it received in the nonprofit group's report two years ago.


Among individual states, only California, Utah and Minnesota earned higher than a "D." California still had the top grade of any state, but its "A" from 2002 fell to a "B" in the latest report after sharp tuition increases.


The report card evaluates states on the performance of their private and public four-year schools and community colleges in five categories, with grades ranging from A to F.


On affordability, the report card contradicts some recent studies that argue increases in financial aid have kept pace with recent tuition hikes, so real college costs have stabilized.

[Romulus]

1. instead of pissing away $$$

on trillion-dollar pie-in-the sky "star wars" programs, and billion-dollar empire-building fiascos, we should be providing a free state university higher education to all who can get in to a state college. And prepping public school kids to attend those institutions.

Newsflash to the crackpot right-wing: the US is LOSING the education contest. That's why it's cheaper to outsource highly-skilled jobs to India & the Phillipines: more people there have the high-demand skill sets needed by businesses. Since fewer people here have them, hiring those few people is a competitive endeavor.

[teryang]

2. Just another barrier erected to social mobility

...in a country based upon exploitation of the public welfare for preservation of the vast privileges and wealth of the ruling elites.

How could anyone think that financial aid was keeping pace with higher education costs?

Has the distribution of resources in this country ever been more inequitable?