Today, children of wealthy parents are the ones who disproportionately attend college. Meanwhile, student financial assistance at the federal, state and university level has shifted away from a needs-based approach, leaving low-income and moderate-income students sitting at home.
If we want to live up to our promise of equal opportunity, we need to increase the size and number of Pell grants and give loan priority to those who need it most, just as President Obama is proposing. This will be a first step toward making equal opportunity not a hollow slogan but a real national commitment.
