Statement of the Honorable Howard P. "Buck" McKeon
Chairman
Subcommittee on 21^st Century Competitiveness
Committee on Education and the Workforce

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for this important hearing today to hear testimony about college accessibility, which is the foundation of the Higher Education Act. This is our ninth hearing examining issues that affect our nation's colleges and universities and the students they serve as the Committee continues its look at the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

When the Higher Education Act was authorized in 1965, Congress made a fundamental commitment to ensure that every student who desired to pursue a higher education was afforded the opportunity. With the creation of the Pell Grant program, government-backed student loans, and access programs such as TRIO, the Higher Education Act now authorizes multiple programs for low-income, first generation college students in order to provide them the necessary assistance to allow postsecondary education to be a realistic and attainable goal. Over the last three decades, our nation has made great strides to ensure that millions of eligible students can access a postsecondary education.

However, even with the efforts of both the Federal government and many other invested parties, there has been some concern over the last few years that many potential college students are still not getting the assistance – both academically and financially – to gain access to postsecondary education. It is clear that there is more we need to do and, as with other programs, there is room for improvement.

Last week, this Subcommittee talked about and recognized the need for improvement and reform in the area of affordability. Thousands of highly qualified students who are academically prepared for college cannot afford to attend and fulfill their dreams because higher education institutions and states are increasing their tuition beyond the reach of students.

But, obviously, there are other factors as well.

Having the dream of attending postsecondary education is as important as having the means to attend. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s report on "Factors Related to College Enrollment," those students who expect and prepare to attend an institution of higher education are more likely to actually enroll and attend a college or university. Only 19 percent of those in the eighth grade whose expectation it is to graduate from high school actually attend a postsecondary institution. Conversely, 73 percent of those in the eighth grade who expect to obtain a bachelor’s degree actually attend college. These statistics show that there is still a need for early intervention with students who, because of their socioeconomic status, race, age or gender, believe that a postsecondary education is not possible. It is vitally important for the future of our nation that we reverse these beliefs in order to let every student, regardless of their background or expectations, know that postsecondary education IS possible.

As early as eighth grade, students form their educational expectations and the type of courses taken as early as junior high school closely relate to postsecondary education attendance. We know that the end of high school is too late in most cases to inform students of their options for higher education opportunities. General information about postsecondary education and more specific information related to financial and academic preparation need to be distributed to students and their parents as early as possible. According to the Department of Education, one-quarter of parents said they were not able to get enough information about financial aid when their child was in the eighth grade, and about a quarter of low income families did not apply for financial aid because they did not know how to apply.

Equally important to students seeking an education is ensuring that a variety of institutions participate in the programs under the Higher Education Act. It is imperative that we also look at current law to see how it may preclude reputable, fiscally-sound institutions from all sectors – public and private, for and not-for-profit, two- and four-year institutions – from participating in programs under the Higher Education Act. If institutions are not able to reach the students who live in their communities because of unnecessary and indefensible restrictions, then our nation’s students suffer to gain access to such vital programs in current law.

I firmly believe that we can make sure that the law is equitable while continuing to maintain the integrity of the student financial aid programs.

Our witnesses here today will talk to us about the access programs that currently exist at a national level, at the state level, and even in the local communities in which they work. We will also hear some recommendations for improvements, and some new ideas in order to ensure that we continue to educate and encourage all students with the idea that college is possible. I also hope that we will learn more about what provisions in the law may currently prohibit some postsecondary institutions from accessing resources that would enable them to work more closely with various student populations.

As we work to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the central goal still remains to provide access to students who desire a quality higher education. We must remove unnecessary barriers and allow these critical programs to reach their full potential to serve students and help them reach their educational goals. However, we will not be doing our job if we don’t make every effort to provide the necessary information students and their parents need about how to fulfill their educational dreams.

I now will yield to Congressman Kildee for any opening statement he may have.