Losing Ground the Affordability of American Higher Education

Losing Ground

According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, access to educational opportunities beyond high school remains unevenly distributed in the United States. The report "Losing Ground" examines five trends in the affordability of higher education in America: tuition hikes have made higher education less affordable for most Americans; financial aid packages have not increased in response to tuition increases; increasing numbers of students and families are taking out loans and going into debt to pay for their education; tuition increases arrive at the most inopportune moments such as during economic hardship; and tuition increases at the state level have increased more than state financial aid awards. The report urges a change in national attitudes and policies toward higher education, with the aim of making college and university tuition more affordable for more Americans.

The findings addressed in "Losing Ground" also illustrate the importance of higher education in American society. Ironically, as tuitions become increasingly out of reach for American families, college education has become more important in securing an individual's productivity, economic and social fulfillment. The report examines state policies and makes recommendations based on family income trends. Public policy regarding financial aid is directly related to ideology: how much emphasis a given state wishes to place on the relevance of higher education in stimulating that state's economy. Although state financial aid has increased, it has not increased enough to respond to the rises in tuition levels. Expenditures on school improvements is also examined, as are the relevance of economic trends on the quality of state-funded higher education.

One of the most important conclusions drawn in "Losing Ground" pertains to class conflict in American society. As higher educational opportunities for middle-income families remain constant, educational opportunities for lower-income families remains unfortunately out of reach. Public policy changes should reflect the need for increased affordability of higher education for lower-income families in the United States. Such shifts in public policy can and will alter the social and economic fabric of the nation.