The History of Public Education in the United States
The first public high school in the United States was founded in Boston in 1821, marking the beginning of public education in this country. After more advancements, the number of public high schools in the nation surpassed that of private schools by the 19th century. As a result, more institutes of higher education were founded. In other words, more kids are enrolling in public high schools, which results in more students being admitted to public and private universities across America. Additionally, more immigrants have arrived in the country for a variety of reasons, which has caused the nation's higher education facilities to become even more crowded. The higher education funding policy in the United States has undergone constant changes to meet the rising demand for more graduates. This essay focuses on the state and federal funding of public education at institutions of higher learning in the United States and examines the various benefits derived from the policy, the beneficiaries and the costs involved in the process of incorporating the program. The chronological order of events leading to setting up of state and federal-funded education systems in the United States clearly evaluates the progress that has been made in an attempt to fund the learning activities in public universities and colleges.
Scope of the Policy Challenge
Public education funding in the United States is a contribution of States and the Federal government. The policy is majorly applicable to secondary education and universities. In addition, public education institutions are the major beneficiaries of the program initiated back in the year 1987. However, the level of funding by the States and Federal government do not commensurately balance. Funding from States in the year 2012, for instance, accounted for more than 65% of public education funding. Higher education funding takes place in all states in the United States. The policy, therefore, is universally applicable in all the public universities in the United States (Caputo, 2013).
The Need for Government Support in Higher Education
The need for the government to support more students in higher education arises from various challenges. To begin with, most of the students from middle-level families are not in a position to afford the cost of higher education. These call for donations and support from non-governmental organizations. However, not all students might be able to benefit from the sponsorships and donations. This leads to the government's intervention through support of higher education. The students benefiting from these programs have a lesser load to bear while attending the public institutions of higher learning.The government also intervenes through funding of public education in order to expand the economy and produce more competent persons to fit into the job markets. Given the fact that just a few students may be able to meet the full costs of higher education, the government has to ensure economic development through funding of portions of the tuition fees and providing facilities to support higher education (Caputo, 2013). Both state and federal interventions are critical in ensuring that the students graduating from high school fit into the right programs to further develop their careers. This eventually reduces the levels of unemployment and leads to economic growth.Public higher education funding by the federal and state government attempts to solve the problem of congestion in and preference for private institutions. By providing subsidies to the public universities, the government is able to receive more admissions to the public universities and produce more graduates in different fields. In the United States, the number of students registering for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs keeps rising every year due to the support provided by the government.
History of Government Funding for Public Universities
The history of public university education funding in the United States cannot be dated back to a specific time. In the year 1996, for instance, nearly $40 billion revenue to degree-granting institutions was received from the Federal government. The funds were distributed in various channels. The major sectors that received the funds included support to colleges and universities, general research facilities, and through grants to students registered in postsecondary education.The start of State and Federal support for higher education in the United States could have been marked by the 1862 Morrill Act that granted public lands in each state to be used to support at least one college (Heller, 2014). By the year 1890, at more than 20 public education institutions had been established under the Act. A second Morrill Act was passed in 1890 and provided an avenue for more grants in support for public universities in the country. The dawn of the end of the 1930 Great Depression saw into a significant rise in the amount of grants offered to public higher education institutions.At the end of World War II, the G.I Bill of 1944 also created a better opportunity and chance to fund higher education institutions. In 1948, the federal government assisted at least 1 million veterans in universities and colleges. This was done with amounts totaling to nearly $365 million and another $1.3 billion the form of subsistence costs. The start of 1950 saw into the creation of the first generally accessible student loan program (Heller, 2014). This was through the passing of the National Defense Education Act. This was then followed by the passing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. From this time, Federal and State support for higher education has significantly grown. At present, the government loan program is available to all students registering for higher education programs in public and some private universities.
Program Beneficiaries and Qualifications
The higher education funding program and policy benefits all students who attain the minimum grades to be admitted for various faculties in the universities. Unlike in the past where the support was mainly given to needy families and those that performed exceptionally, today's loan program benefits all students equally. This is a means-tested program. To qualify for the loans, one has to provide proof of financial incapability through the postsecondary education program. In addition, one has to be a U.S citizen or an authorized non-native (Urahn & Conroy, 2015).There are no age limits in qualifying for student loans in the United States. Finally, one must have successfully gone through the preceding education levels to meet the minimum requirements for the federal and state support. Given the non-stringent rules qualifications for obtaining the loans, most students are assured of this support through the education programs. Public education, therefore, becomes more affordable in the U.S.
Funding of the Program
The state and federal governments fund the program through revenues from different sources. To begin with, tax received from the country's economic activities form the bulk of the funds used to run the program. The higher education policy also receives support from Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) that are willing to support education programs. During repayments, the beneficiaries indirectly support new students admitted to the universities.Various states, however, have complained of receiving very little funds from the federal government and being responsible for supporting many students. For example, the state of Texas in the year 2012 filed a complaint regarding the revenues it received and what it had to spend in meeting the requirements of higher education support. Due to political differences between the Federal and State authorities and policies, the policy often meets obstacles (Urahn & Conroy, 2015). The controversy over who should provide more funds continues to challenge the whole program. Some former beneficiaries from the policy have also complained of high-interest rates on the loans, making potential eligible applicants fail to use the program.
Implications for Social Work Practice
Social workers are mainly aligned to the social well-being of the entire society. This goal is achieved through social enlightenment. Education is one of the approaches that social workers advocate for to accomplish their goals. The government, through support of public education at tertiary levels, acts as a stepping stone towards accomplishing the goals of social work practice. The student loan programs help needy students obtain quality education like all their peers. This acts as a relief to some of the financial constraints realized in social work practice in line with monetary support programs.
Conclusion
Public education in the United States continues to thrive due to the appropriate funding policies developed over the years. Through funding of higher education, the state and federal governments promote social work through the creation of opportunities for students to develop both professionally and academically.
References
Top of Form
Caputo, R. K. (2013). Policy analysis for social workers.
Heller, D.E. (2014). Federal funds for higher education- history. Federal support for students, federal support for research. Retrieved from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1988/Federal-Funds-Higher-Education.html
Urahn, S.K. & Conroy, T.P (2015). Federal and State Funding of higher education. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/assets/2015/06/federal_state_funding_higher_education_final.pdf
