Will a $260 Increase In Pell Money
Make a Difference?

Patrick Sutton 

As The White House warms to the $464 billion dollar spending bill that includes a $260 boost in Pell money, some House republicans still remain speculative. The loudest critics claim that the bill is being rushed to vote without adequate time to amend. But let’s not confuse the means with the ends: What will this change in higher education?

The Pell grant is a federal aid grant named after Claiborne Pell, that awards funding based on “financial need” that is determined by an application called Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Recipients that receive Pell money are typically “high need” students.

"It's very hard for me to see how you can have a racial objective, but a non-racial means to get there." -Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (12-4-06)

...They are divided over what role race should play, if any, in competitive admissions at elementary and secondary schools. Some justices highlighted the benefits of racial diversity in the classroom, while others on the bench worried about whether the voluntary integration programs constitute illegal racial quotas. -CNN.com

I have seen different efforts to ensure that each race receives equal educational opportunity. I have worked in public schools in upper class neighborhoods, where the student body was over 95% White, and I have worked in public schools in lower-middle class neighborhoods, where the student body was over 80% Black and Hispanic. What does race have to do with educational privilege in terms of the public education experience? I will list some interesting demographic information from New York City: