Fostering Student Desire for Postsecondary Education

Abstract

As outsourcing and competition for jobs increase and the U.S. economy grows more tenuous, many politicians and policymakers cite education— specifically college education—as the means by which the United States can maintain its dominance in the global marketplace. President Bush wants to make certain students are “provided greater access to college, and are more successful in completing a postsecondary education,” and some governors have called for an increase in the annual number of college graduates in their states. Efforts to help more students attend college so far have involved achievement and financing. On the achievement front, state and federal education policies promise to better prepare students for college so they are qualified to attend and ready to succeed. On the financial front, President Bush has pledged increased funding for Pell Grants, and some schools—the University of Virginia, Harvard University, and the University of Illinois, among others—have “access” plans that allow talented students from low-income backgrounds to obtain an excellent college education. Addressing both fronts, the United States Office of Postsecondary Education counts as a major aim its administration of “programs that increase access to postsecondary education for disadvantaged students.” Although academic preparation and financial aid are important issues, a crucial piece has been left out of the worthy goal of increasing