Using Professional Judgment in Financial Aid to Advance Racial Justice and Equity

Autor/inn/en	Ramirez-Mendoza, Jaime; Jones, Tiffany
Institution	Education Trust
Titel	Using Professional Judgment in Financial Aid to Advance Racial Justice and Equity
Quelle	(2020), (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Decision Making; Student Financial Aid; College Attendance; Higher Education; Economic Climate; COVID-19; Pandemics; African American Students; Hispanic American Students; Paying for College; Taxes; State Aid; Grants; Racial Differences; Financial Aid Applicants; Family Income; Eligibility; Social Justice; Equal Education; Advisory Committees; Financial Needs; Vignettes; Unemployment; College Students; School Personnel + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Decision-making; Entscheidungsfindung; Finanzielle Beihilfe; Studienfinanzierung; Studienförderung; College; Colleges; Attendance; Hochschule; Fachhochschule; Anwesenheit; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Wirtschaftslage; African Americans; Student; Students; Afroamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Hispanic; Hispanic Americans; Hispanoamerikaner; Abgabe; Grant; Rassenunterschied; Antragsteller; Familieneinkommen; Eignung; Soziale Gerechtigkeit; Beratungsstelle; Arbeitslosigkeit; Collegestudent; Schulpersonal
Abstract	Public higher education has long been unaffordable for many students, especially for Black and Latino students who have substantially less wealth, on average, than their White peers. Unfortunately, the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 has only exacerbated these financial inequities for Black and Latino households, who have been hit hardest by unemployment and income loss amid the pandemic. The current economic downturn may not only impact how much Black and Latino families can pay for college, but how much aid they will be awarded for the upcoming year. That's because, in the upcoming cycle, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be based on their tax returns from 2019, i.e., two years prior, and institutions will use that information to calculate how much students can afford to pay out of pocket for college and how much to award them in aid. Under the old policy, which was based on prior-year tax information, students had to wait until their parents filed their taxes before starting the FAFSA application process, which not only produced a lot of stress, but led many to miss the application deadlines for state grants that they would otherwise have been eligible for. But while this new policy lets students get an earlier start on the FAFSA, it also means that, in the case of students whose families have experienced job loss or a financial setback amid the pandemic, institutions could be using pre-COVID-19 income information that no longer reflects students' financial reality. One potential solution is for students to seek a professional judgment from the financial aid office, which can assign a financial aid officer to review their situation and decide whether adjustments to the FAFSA are warranted so students can qualify for more aid. Unfortunately, many students may be unaware that appealing for more aid is even an option. Considering the racial equity implications in mind, this brief analyzes the professional judgment process, its advantages and limitations, how financial aid officers can address racial justice, and provides recommendations on making professional judgment practices more equitable. [The report was funded by the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation.] (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Education Trust. 1250 H Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-293-1217; Fax: 202-293-2605; Web site: https://edtrust.org/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01