affirmative action at its best? anti-elitest? scam?

[lightningbugirl 0]

Harvard University has announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition. In making the announcement, Harvard's president Lawrence H. Summers said,"When only 10 percent of the students in Elite higher education come from families in lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution."

If you know of a family earning less than $60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to
Harvard for free ... no tuition and no student loans! In addition, Harvard announce reduced fees for students from families with incomes between $60,000 and $80,000.

To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $60,000 a year visit Harvard's financial aid website at:

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2006/03/30-finaid.html_ or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.

Does this still set some students up for failure? Is a student from a low-income neighborhood school or school not compliant with national standards, as many urban schools are, able to meet the challenges of Harvard?

[eflynn 0]

There's no reason to assume because a person's family makes less than $60,000 a year they can't perform. I seriously doubt Harvard wants their attrition rate any higher than it is currently and wouldn't put a policy in place that would contribute to it. Plain and simple whoever gets into Harvard, wealthy or poor, is still held to the same academic standard. EVERYONE has to do the work.

[kallend 1,623]

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Does this still set some students up for failure? Is a student from a low-income neighborhood school or school not compliant with national standards, as many urban schools are, able to meet the challenges of Harvard?

It's a bit of a leap (well, a very large leap) to go from reduced tuition for low income students to lowered admissions standards.

Where did you find any statement about admissions standards being lowered (or do you believe parental income IS a measure of student achievement)?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Richards 0]

Should someones future potential be denied due to the socieconomic circumstances they were born in?

When I went to school there were people brighter than me who did not do as well because they had to also work long hours to help support thier families (not just themselves) due to low income status. As a result they had lower GPA's and subsequently have somewhat limmited opportunities with respect to grad school, or certain professional designations.

I would not approve of two standards of academic requirements (barring someone giving me a compelling reason why it would make sense to do so), but this is about investing in human capital, that otherwise would go to waste. Society loses if a someone who has the potential to be a economist, engineer, medical researcher...etc ends up working on an assembly line or pushing a broom.

I really don't have a problem with what they are doing. The people getting the free tuition still have to meet the same entrance standard, and have to work thier asses off to succeed in the program. Should they be doomed to a low income future because they were not as lucky as me or (presumably) you?

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[jcd11235 0]

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Does this still set some students up for failure? Is a student from a low-income neighborhood school or school not compliant with national standards, as many urban schools are, able to meet the challenges of Harvard?

I don't think so. We're talking about Harvard, not MIT.

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[Nightingale 0]

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Does this still set some students up for failure? Is a student from a low-income neighborhood school or school not compliant with national standards, as many urban schools are, able to meet the challenges of Harvard?

I'm a strong opponent of affirmative action in an educational setting, at least the way it's currently implemented. IMO, affirmative action sets students up for failure, because the standards are different for AA students than regular students. Then, the students are graded by the same standard as everyone else, and they don't do as well, because they didn't have the skills to begin with.

What Harvard is doing with this program is not AA. They have not altered their admission standards. They're simply giving people who meet their already high standards the opportunity to get an education they otherwise couldn't afford. I'm all for this. Education is usually the best way out of poverty, and if Harvard (a private institution) wants to assist in this, good for them.