Secretary of Education John King visited Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C. on Friday. Michael Stratford of Politico reports that King had an awkward moment when a student asked him about the high cost of college.
“When King asked the classroom of about 15 students how many had filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, only two raised their hand,” Stratford writes. “And none of the students were familiar with the Education Department’s College Scorecard.”
King said that was “worrisome.”
Worrisome, indeed. It’s just one anecdote, but it suggests that many of the students most in need of financial aid and more data on colleges have no idea those resources exist. Aside from arguments over whether federal financial aid or the College Scorecard are necessary, it’s not good if the people who need them don’t use them.
According to Stratford, almost all the students at Coolidge are racial minorities with family incomes low enough to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program.
“We have a lot of work to do,” King said, “because students here, students in that classroom, are exactly the kind of students we worry aren’t going to hear about the FAFSA or College Scorecard.”
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
