Mitt Romney’s Adams Scholarship
During her speech last night at the Republican Convention, Ann Romney talked about the Adams Scholarship that her husband, Mitt Romney, established as the Governor of Massachusetts.
Here is a summary of the actual record from the Boston Globe:
Romney’s Adams Scholarship program, which he announced during his State of the State address in January, would award free public college tuition to the top quarter of MCAS scorers. Because the scholarship selection would rest solely on test scores and because wealthier students tend to score higher, the students most likely to qualify would need the help the least.
October 14, 2004 - State Widens Proposal for MCAS Scholarship
State education officials unveiled yesterday a new version of Governor Mitt Romney’s controversial plan to award free public- college tuition to students with high MCAS scores, recommending a revised proposal that would send more money to needy and minority students in urban school districts.
December 11, 2004 - Minorities Lagging in Tuition Program Fewer Urban Winners of Adams Scholarships
A disproportionately small number of students offered free state college tuition next year under the new Adams Scholarship program are minorities and poor, according to a state analysis of the 13,149 high school seniors whose high scores on the state MCAS exam made them eligible for awards.
The state’s decision to offer less financial aid while also drastically reducing campus funding differs from the approach of many other states, where officials said financial aid budgets were held steady or increased during the recent recession in an attempt to keep poor students in college.
December 16, 2005 - No Change in State Scholarship Pool Seen
Governor Mitt Romney touted the success of a two-year-old state scholarship program yesterday, saying it was reaching more students and the majority of those accepting the free tuition come from poor, urban communities.
But the pool of students who have qualified each year has stayed the same, with white students predominant and the percentage of low-income students remaining at just 8.8 percent, according to state data.
