Funding levels would stay flat, but schools must meet 25% threshold for graduation or transfers
Howard University students at the 2016 commencement ceremony.
By Melissa Korn melissa.korn@wsj.com
The federal government sets aside roughly $600 million in grants for colleges that serve large populations of minority students, and the proposed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act by House Republicans maintains that funding—with a few new catches.
In order for any of the 1,700 eligible schools to get funds under Title III and Title V, which cover a range of minority-serving, historically black and developing Hispanic-serving institutions, they must graduate or transfer at least 25% of their students. It is the first time that Congress is tying the grant money to a completion benchmark, and lawmakers could increase that threshold down the line.
The bill also will require grantees to prove they are making progress on their projects to get continued funding, and urges schools to use the money for programs that improve academic quality and the institutions’ own long-term sustainability.
The bill allocates $183 million annually to designated minority-serving institutions in fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2024, and just over $308.3 million to historically black colleges and universities. It gives another $108 million specifically for Hispanic-serving institutions for program development.
Those are all flat with 2017 appropriation levels.
Marybeth Gasman, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, said the current funding levels aren’t sufficient to support the nation’s 650 designated minority-serving institutions, which educate 40% of the nation’s students of color. (Schools eligible for Title III and Title V grants include those 650, as well as others that have large populations of Hispanic, black, Native American or other minority groups.)
She said the federal government should invest in helping schools improve retention rates for these mostly poor students and, referencing the teach-a-man-to-fish proverb, said the Education Department should encourage schools to build more robust fundraising infrastructures so they can ultimately rely less on one-off grants.
The bill also maintains $20.5 million in annual funding for the Historically Black Colleges and University Capital Financing Program, which has disbursed over $1 billion since the mid-1990s to help schools improve facilities or to refinance existing debt. Two schools have defaulted on loans, and many others haven’t made progress on paying down the debt. The bill would improve financial counseling for schools that want to participate, too.
The program’s advisory board will be required to provide annual updates to Congress. The board is already supposed to meet annually, but over the past decade has gone years between meetings.
“It is an important program, but there have to be regular accountability measures put in place,” Dr. Gasman said.
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Howard University students at the 2016 commencement ceremony.
By Melissa Korn melissa.korn@wsj.com
The federal government sets aside roughly $600 million in grants for colleges that serve large populations of minority students, and the proposed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act by House Republicans maintains that funding—with a few new catches.
In order for any of the 1,700 eligible schools to get funds under Title III and Title V, which cover a range of minority-serving, historically black and developing Hispanic-serving institutions, they must graduate or transfer at least 25% of their students. It is the first time that Congress is tying the grant money to a completion benchmark, and lawmakers could increase that threshold down the line.
The bill also will require grantees to prove they are making progress on their projects to get continued funding, and urges schools to use the money for programs that improve academic quality and the institutions’ own long-term sustainability.
The bill allocates $183 million annually to designated minority-serving institutions in fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2024, and just over $308.3 million to historically black colleges and universities. It gives another $108 million specifically for Hispanic-serving institutions for program development.
Those are all flat with 2017 appropriation levels.
Marybeth Gasman, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, said the current funding levels aren’t sufficient to support the nation’s 650 designated minority-serving institutions, which educate 40% of the nation’s students of color. (Schools eligible for Title III and Title V grants include those 650, as well as others that have large populations of Hispanic, black, Native American or other minority groups.)
She said the federal government should invest in helping schools improve retention rates for these mostly poor students and, referencing the teach-a-man-to-fish proverb, said the Education Department should encourage schools to build more robust fundraising infrastructures so they can ultimately rely less on one-off grants.
The bill also maintains $20.5 million in annual funding for the Historically Black Colleges and University Capital Financing Program, which has disbursed over $1 billion since the mid-1990s to help schools improve facilities or to refinance existing debt. Two schools have defaulted on loans, and many others haven’t made progress on paying down the debt. The bill would improve financial counseling for schools that want to participate, too.
The program’s advisory board will be required to provide annual updates to Congress. The board is already supposed to meet annually, but over the past decade has gone years between meetings.
“It is an important program, but there have to be regular accountability measures put in place,” Dr. Gasman said.
(Note: If you have a subscription you should review the comments)
What a dumb thing to lie about. America's giant military budget is infamous.
