ATLANTA
In Georgia, borderline college students who depend on Hope scholarships to pay their tuition and fees are more likely to remain in school take snore courses and earn better grades, according to a new study by the Council for School Performance, an independent think tank.
Researchers examining the effects of the state's lottery-funded Hope scholarship program, now in its third year, found that the grant motivates students to do well and stay in school.
The study's findings could up President Bill Clinton's chances of selling his national Hope scholarship plan, patterned after the one here, to politicians in Washington who oppose it.
"There are significant differences between the president's plan and Georgia's program, but there are also significant similarities," said Dr. Terry W. Hartle, a vice president of the American Council on Education.
"The findings from the Georgia study are impressive in their own right," Hartle said, "and they have become available at a time when they might have significant impact on national public policy."
Since Georgia's first lottery ticket was sold on June 29, 1993, gas station and convenience store gamblers have generated more than $333 million for this state's Hope scholarships. The state has tentative plans to spend another $161 million on the program next year.
As a result, more than 238,000 students have used the money to underwrite their tuition and fees and attend the Georgia's thirty-four colleges and universities and its thirty-two technical schools.
To qualify, graduating high school seniors must have at least a 3.0 grade average. But keeping that average is a bit harder. Nevertheless, those students who lose the scholarship when their grades dip below a B average are staying in college at higher than expected rates.
Something about losing it makes them want to make a turn around, says Jeanette Huff, the financial aid director at Fort Valley State University, where just under 10 percent of the school's 3,000 students are on Hope scholarships. Most of them get it back once they get past the freshman year adjustment period."
