Report Cards are Out: How Does Your State 'Measure Up'

Digital Journal- According to the NCPPHE web site, they are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, independent organization that “promotes public policies that enhance Americans’ opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school.” The state by state report cards are done every two years. The latest, “Measuring Up 2008,” was published on December 3 of this year and funded by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education. The study uses percentages of family incomes as a way to measure rising costs not based only on tuition, but by using the overall percentage of income needed to pay for tuition, fees, room and board. Families in the lowest income bracket were reported to spend 39% of median income for a public university education in 1999-2000, compared to the present at 55%. For community colleges, the increase went from 40% in 1999-2000 to 49%. The amount of appropriations that colleges and universities receive from their states has been a major factor in rising costs. Many universities have begun to offer more online courses, and to use more adjunct professors in efforts to cut expenses and keep costs down. The state receiving the highest grade for affordability was California with a C-.

 Poor and working-class families must devote 40% of their income, even after aid, to pay for costs at public four-year colleges.

 Financial aid to low-income students is low. For every dollar in Pell Grant aid to students, the state spends 56 cents.

The state of Georgia has developed the HOPE program (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally), funded by the state lottery system, in order to help all Georgia residents afford a college education, regardless of age or income. The HOPE program requires recipients to carry an acceptable GPA in order to receive and keep their financial aid.

“Since the HOPE Program began in 1993, over $3.8 billion in HOPE funds have been awarded to more than 1.1 million students attending Georgia's colleges, universities, and technical colleges.”

Even with HOPE, Georgia received an F for affordability from the “Measuring Up 2008” report.

 Poor and working-class families must devote 40% of their income, even after aid (including HOPE scholarships), to pay for costs at public four-year colleges.

 The state makes almost no investment in need-based financial aid.

If you are curious to know how your state “measured up” and what grade they received in the “Affordability” category, you can visit this page and simply click on your state. Before you do, it might help to know that except for California, all of the other 49 states received an “F.” James B. Hunt Jr., Chairman of National Center's Board of Directors, claims, “In assessing state and national progress in these areas, Measuring Up places the performance of American higher education in a global perspective by incorporating international comparisons wherever possible.” Darcie Harvey of National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education stated that the grading system was based on affordability of the top 5 states in the early 1990’s. She also admitted that this study did not start until the 1999-2000 time period. For more information about how the grading system works you can visit their “How We Measure Change Over Time” page.