Increasing the Maximum Award

In 1980, the maximum Pell Grant award covered 76 percent of the cost of attendance at a public university.1 Today, it covers just over 29 percent, the lowest portion in over 40 years.2 Pell’s purchasing power will further decrease with the expiration of automatic inflation adjustments in 2018.

  • For FY19, the maximum Pell Grant award should be increased to at least $6,230.
  • Congress should restore the mandatory adjustment for inflation and set an ambitious plan to reverse the downward trend of Pell’s purchasing power.

Restoring Pell Eligibility to Students Who Are Incarcerated

Research shows that correctional education programs reduce the rate of recidivism by 43 percent, increase the rate of employment after release by 13 percent, and are associated with fewer violent incidents in participating prisons.3 These programs result in net savings to taxpayers and are significantly more cost efficient than incarceration alone. There are also significant intergenerational benefits for the more than 5 million children with a parent who is or has been incarcerated.4

  • Congress should strike paragraph 6 of section 401(b) in the Higher Education Act and restore Pell eligibility to students who are incarcerated and in high-quality programs that support students toward a degree.

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Supporting Teachers and School Leaders

Maintain funding for Title II-A (Supporting Effective Instruction), the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSLIP), and the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program

  • Congress should fund Title II-A, TSLIP, and SEED at their FY18 levels: $2.055B, $200M, and $75M, respectively.

Restore Funding for the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program

The School Leader Recruitment and Support Program is the only federal program focused on investing in evidence-based, locally driven strategies to strengthen school leadership in high-need schools. This program is key to developing the next generation of effective school leaders, promoting equity, advancing innovation, and sharing transformational leadership lessons with the broader field.

  • For FY19, Congress should fund the School Leader Recruitment and Support Program at $14.5M, its FY17 level.

  1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/09/28/lets-make-sure-pell-grants-arent-eroded-by-inflation/?utm_term=.91fe4ee20dc3&noredirect=on
  2. https://edtrust.org/press_release/letter-309-organizations-congressional-leadership-index-pell-grants-inflation-indefinitely/
  3. https://www.bja.gov/publications/rand_correctional-educa-tion-meta-analysis.pdf; https://storage.googleapis.com/vera-web-assets/downloads/Publications/postsecondary-education-in-prison-fact-sheet-for-correction-leaders/legacy_down-loads/postsecondary-education-in-prisonfactsheet-for-corrections-leaders.pdf
  4. http://www.childtrends.org/?publications=parents-behind-bars-what-happens-to-their-children