Proposed Government Pell Grant Cuts: Hardly A Class Act
Over on the Education blog this week, writer Carol Scott explained how the federal Pell Grant program, which currently helps over 9 million college students pay for their education, is currently facing a $5.7 billion funding gap. The expected cuts could result in drops of $845 per student annually -- and, with the impending expiration of the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit program, it all adds up to a loss of about $3,345 per year -- about $13,000 over the course of a student's undergraduate education.
Why do we care about this issue over at Poverty in America? Because the people affected by the proposed cuts are the United States' low- to middle-income families. The education gap in this country will only widen if we stop providing support to families who couldn't otherwise afford college. College graduates can make $1 million more over the course of a career than they could with just a high school degree, experience lower rates of unemployment, are more likely to have a successful marriage -- all ways to break cycles of poverty, even those
Senator Reid Files Cloture With Major Changes to the DREAM Act
Late last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion for cloture with a new final version of the DREAM Act, S. 3992, that would given young undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. The legislation could be voted on as early as Saturday.
Many proponents are perturbed by restrictions in the new bill, but the leadership appears open to the new compromises -- the question is whether this will be enough to win over support from wavering Senators. Under the changes by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the bill's primary sponsor, the DREAM Act will provide undocumented students will conditional non-immigrant status, which act like a temporary visa, rather than conditional legal residency. The adjusting students would thus likely not qualify for the health benefits enacted by Congress last year.
Durbin also removed the portion of the legislation that would have allowed states to set their own requirements for
Keep The Science In Science Textbooks, Louisiana Teachers Say
Science teachers in Louisiana are stepping up to the plate and asking for something that should be a given: the permission to teach, well, science.
The issue in question is a series of high school life science textbooks up for approval by the state's board of education. They've been targeted by a group that attacks the books' inclusion of evolution, arguing that the books should include disclaimers and teach about creationism as well. An advisory panel approved the books last month; next week, the state board will hold a final vote.
Taking a stand for the books is the Louisiana Coalition for Science, a group of educators who include Dr. Jason