Keeps teachers from inflating grades, makes sure the brightest students are getting the money. But not really, Long said. In Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state on behalf of a group of minority and low-income students, saying that the way Michigan distributes its merit scholarships was discriminatory. But you can see what kind of social effects this has had on relations within the state. So there's a lot of cautious tales to tell about these state merit-based programs.
Poor people are less likely to be able to afford college than ever before.
Since 1997, the median family income has risen 10 percent. College costs have skyrocketed 49 percent - and that's after inflation. Despite all the federal and state aid programs that have cropped up since the 1970s, poor kids are still far less likely to go to college than their wealthy peers. By last year, that number hadn't budged. As a nation, we will fall in our prominence if we don't have an educated population to carry us forward.