“For the governor to combine these numbers and say ‘look what we’ve done’ is wrong,” Miller says.
Bush also said his A-Plus system, which grades public schools based largely on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, has improved student performance and meant more graduates are going to college.
But the governor also acknowledged that the state hasn’t done enough in the past to provide financial aid for minority students. Last year, he met with the Florida A&M University Student Government Association to discuss that issue and appointed an Access and Diversity Commission to make recommendations.
That decision resulted in the Legislature passing the $11.5 million First Generation Matching Grant Program.
The program is designed mainly to help minorities by providing assistance to students whose parents do not have four-year degrees.
But even with that program, the state still doesn’t provide enough need-based financial aid, Miller says.
— Associated Press
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
