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Posted on 08/23/2015 11:14:10 AM PDT by Steelfish
AUG 23 2015 Pell Grants: Billions Go to Students Who Don't Graduate, Analysis Finds by ELIZABETH CHUCK
Billions of taxpayer dollars go to college students who never end up with a diploma in their hands, a new report found.
Pell grants — which are given to low-income families and, unlike student loans, do not need to be paid back — are the costliest education initiative in the nation. But little official data exists on whether they are a good investment, according to the education watchdog Hechinger Report.
Education Department Undersecretary Ted Mitchell last month lauded Pell grants as "one of the key levers that we have" to increase college completion rates. But an analysis published Monday by Hechinger revealed that Pell recipient graduation rates are often considerably lower than the overall graduation rate — even six years after a student starts college.
"IT MAY BE THAT GIVEN THE HIGH FAILURE RATE OF THE PROGRAM, IT ISN'T A VERY GOOD RETURN ON PUBLIC INVESTMENT." To make matters worse, the government keeps no official tally of what proportion of those who receive the grants end up getting degrees — despite the fact that money spent on Pell grants has quadrupled since 2000.
"There's two scandals here. We have spent over the last decade one quarter of a trillion dollars on Pell grants, and if you ask the federal government what percentage of those kids graduate from college, they can't tell you," said Richard Vedder, director of the non-profit Center for College Affordability and Productivity. "The second scandal is as far as we can estimate, that graduation rate is embarrassingly low."
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
So, they are more or less just party money for temporary college students.
Our state used to pay tuition after the first semester and I think only 70% were graduating.
My DIL paid her way through college and used to get furious about those who were going for free and flunked out over and over.
Education Department Undersecretary Ted Mitchell last month lauded Pell grants as “one of the key levers that we have” to increase college completion rates.
I’d fire someone who said that
The government needs to get out of the education business, the education funding business, and the education propping up business. I taught as an adjunct instructor and those poor kids didn’t know Shit from Shinola. I asked one poor sap why he was in college and he told me “ Get the bucks, man.”
+My DIL paid her way through college and used to get furious about those who were going for free and flunked out over and over.+
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My granddaughter is using pell grant for her 2 yr prereq’s for nursing. She has to hold a 2.5 gpa and gpa must increase every semester or the grant gets restricted or suspended by grant administrators at the college. She is carrying a 3.8 gpa after her first 2 full semesters. As far as I know, under current grant regs, there is no way to flunk and get considered for a future grant application to try the courses again or continue.
Almost as if it was a redistribution of wealth. ;)
Party, Sex, and Keep Liberal Teachers Employed......
This taxpayer money is given to students graduating from high school when they can’t read or write. They have no business in college, and we are wasting money we don’t have only to see them fail.
Don’t get me wrong, I have 3 grandchildren in college, one gets assistance and scholarships, she has a 4 point. The other 2 have scholarships, their parents help and they work.
College isn’t what it use to be. Years ago they implement “group” work in some classes and all classes at those Phoenix University types, which is nothing but welfare for the stupid, and that drives some away. You get a group of people to do a home work assignment, then one guy does all the work while the others screw off.
The whole system needs to be overhauled. College needs to be an environment of learning and not a agenda driven, party and sex place for the university bound or a money grabbing institution for those needing accelerated degree program.
Another problem is that you need a degree for nearly everything now, to get the job or to get a promotion. So many go into college and those accelerated money rip off colleges hoping to improve their lives. Some get turned off by the process or real life hits and they can’t afford to finish college for what ever reason. But this whole need for a degree in every field only benefits liberal professors. There use to be a time where people worked their way up in a company. Not anymore, at least not at the scale that it use to be. If you work hard and start to make too much in a company, you might be be targeted for replacement by cheap labor. If you don’t have a degree, it’s the company’s excuse not to promote you.
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They are a taxpayer rip-off, as I see it. Yes, I am certain they help a few, but I know a Community College prof who tells me that the Black girls all know the game. You sign up for classes to get the grant, then the day after your check arrives, you drop all classes. Sign up again the following semester and do it all over again. If they have (B) or (F) after their name, it more than likely goes without saying there will be no further action, looking into whether this is fraud or not. This is thousands of dollars per student doing this.
Your granddaughter is the reason the Pell Grant program was established.
In the past, it has provided upward mobility to millions of Americans and the programs was instrumental helping Americans realize the American Dream.
It provided huge benefits to America as well.
Sadly , that has changed over the last few decades.
As with all government programs that provide “free cash benefits”, fraud and abuse eventually take over the programs.
This has been the case with Pell Grants.
Your grand daughter and he peers attending a legitimate 4 year college or even a 2 year Community College is not the problem.
The problem is that politicians have expanded the definition of what qualifies as an “Educational Institution” eligible to enroll Pell Grant funded students to include fraudulent or frivolous for profit “schools”, many of which have zero academic standards or value.
Some of these fraudulent schools maximize their profits by providing students with transcripts and diplomas without the students even having to attend classes.
If the school fraudulently provides certificatiion that the Student attending their school is making great progress to a degree in Cosmetology and Finger Nail Painting and is in good academic standing with a 3.2 grade average, the the “student” keeps getting his or her annual $11,000 Pell Grant and probably another $15,000 per year in government backed Student loan funds (which the student has no intention of ever paying back).
The school gets it's $4-10,000 per year tuition payment while the “student” gets free money to support themselves and party on the taxpayer dime.
Some of the schools are pure scams that the students knowingly participate in while others are Sham Schools who prey on ignorant and unsophisticated under privileged young people with bogus or worthless educations.
Regardless, the Pell Program needs to be reformed up to bring it back to it's original mission of providing a quality eduction at a quality educational facility to poor students who otherwise would be unable to go to college..
The Pell Grant program has become overwhelmed with fraud and abuse.
The situation you describe is commonplace.
There is also collusion with the teachers and administration and pressure on teachers to provide passing grades to students who don't even show up for class so the students can keep their Pell Grants and financial aid.
Not for everyone who got them. As an anecdote, my daughter left home at 16 (I couldn't even find her for a couple of years), earned her own living, finished high school with National Honor Society award, declared herself emancipated, got into a ranked college with an athletic scholarship, Pell grant, and working in food service, took a full course load, and graduated with high marks in computer science. As an emancipated youth she could not accept parental support even if it were available.
After working her way through programming experiences as independent contractor to several companies, she became an acquisitions manager and is now in her fifties a vice president of a large national banking corporation.
I am humbled by my daughter's accomplishments and can only stand in awe and appreciation.
This is the kind of Pell Grant recipient we need to identify and encourage, students who show independence, responsibility, and backbone at an early age, even before considering as an applicant. Such targeted individuals will not be the ones who, though not humorless, are not giving themselves over to profitless immaturity.
On the other hand, without the ability to measure and track a Pell recipient's actual educability, it may be wrongly advancing ungifted (though sincerely hard-working) matriculates, who simply have no hope for employment in intellectually demanding pursuits, that brings criticism after years of unpromising support. Financial support should never undermine the character-building need to strive effectively to keep on obtaining such support as is needed. It should never be enough to let someone coast, rather than take away the strength coming from the challenge to "root, hog, or die."
I too, went through nursing school in the 90’s on Pell grants.
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