The current benefits available for higher education aren’t helping the students who need them most, experts told members of the House’s tax-writing committee.
A panel of witnesses testified before members of the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday about expanding access to higher education, primarily focusing on how existing policies — like the Pell Grant and higher education tax credits — could be reformed to better serve the students most in need.
The current higher education system is not equipped to support low-income students, students of color and students with disabilities, said Marshall Anthony Jr., a senior policy analyst at the progressive think tank the Center for American Progress. The Pell Grant doesn’t cover a high enough share of the cost of college, students would have to work more than 15 hours a week in most states in order to afford to attend a four-year public institution — and studies suggest working more than that can hinder students’ completion — and the lack of funding for community colleges means they often don’t have the resources to serve the lower-income students who attend.
“The ability to graduate should not be conditional upon a student having good fortune,” Anthony said. “But we’ve created and perpetuated a system where that unfortunate reality has been the standard for far too long.”