In the Media

Citation of educational observer’s quote misreads his view of state effort

In your July 14 article on the new MassReconnect free community college program for nursing students and residents 25 or older, I was quoted as saying that “community colleges may not be the right choice for all students” (“Two-year college enrollment spikes,” Metro).

That quote was taken, as the reporter noted, from an earlier op-ed of mine in CommonWealth Beacon in which I voiced concern that a recent free community college proposal for students of all ages could divert some students from our public four-year colleges, where they might have even more success.

I have no such concerns about MassReconnect, which focuses on older students who probably would not otherwise be attending college, including a public four-year college. MassReconnect is precisely the kind of carefully designed and well-targeted financial aid we should be encouraging here in Massachusetts.

Joshua Goodman
Cambridge
The writer is an associate professor of education and economics at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development.

 

In favoring higher-income students, program fails to maximize social upward mobility

The article “Two-year college enrollment spikes” highlights the successes of the MassReconnect program in terms of increased enrollment at community colleges. While this is critically important, we must ask who is actually being given the chance for upward mobility.

First, according to our research, the program disproportionately benefits higher-income students, providing them with up to five times more grant money than the lowest-income students. This gives higher-income students a significant incentive to apply, even though they may not need the aid as much as lower-income students. As a result, the program is not well-targeted to maximize social upward mobility.

Second, the recent evaluation of MassReconnect reveals a concerning finding: Nearly two-thirds of the program’s eligible participants (2,872 students) missed out on the grant because they did not fulfill MassReconnect’s requirement to fill out the FAFSA. Before claiming that this program has removed the barriers to accessing essential financial aid, it is critical to dig deeper to understand why so many students are missing out on the opportunity for a tuition-free degree.

There are crucial lessons to be learned from this one-year experiment. Decision-makers must closely examine who we are truly helping and who is being left out of the opportunities that college can provide simply because they cannot afford it. Improving and expanding existing programs accordingly is imperative.

Bahar Akman Imboden
Manager director and cofounder
Hildreth Institute
Boston
 

More outreach needed on FAFSA and state’s alternative aid form

We are heartened to see Massachusetts residents taking advantage of the new MassReconnect program. There are still prospective students who could be eligible but do not benefit because they did not complete the FAFSA, the free form that determines financial aid eligibility. It is crucial to complete federal or state financial aid applications, and the nonprofit organization uAspire and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education have resources available. We encourage the Commonwealth to deepen outreach and support efforts to increase participation in FAFSA or, for those whose immigration status makes them ineligible for federal aid, MASFA (the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid).

Femi Stoltz
Massachusetts policy director, uAspire
Boston

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