Black Students Losing `HOPE'

Black Issues in Higher Education, Oct 14, 1999 by Dick Pettys, Scott W. Wright

However, Henry expects to see dramatic changes in subsequent Hope scholarship retention figures after a new eligibility rule takes effect next year. That rule requires students to have a B average in "core" academic courses, discounting high grades they might receive for band, physical education or similar courses.

"When that kicks in, you're going to see the percentages losing Hope go down," he says. "Now, a lot of students have qualified with high scores on elective courses. But with the class of 2000, students will have to have a B average on their core courses."

Henry says that requirement could cut eligibility for Hope scholarships as much as 25 percent.

At the University System of Georgia, administrators also have found the poor scholarship retention rate for Black students disconcerting, says Arlethia Perry-Johnson, the assistant vice chancellor for media and publications.

University administrators have worked with state officials to better align Hope eligibility requirements with the system's academic requirements for admissions in the belief that "this should make a significant impact on the numbers," Perry-Johnson says.

System records reveal that the state Hope scholarship program has brought an additional 4,000 African American students into the system's 34 colleges and universities, Perry-Johnson says.

"That's impressive and positive no matter how you look at it because our goal is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing postsecondary education," she says. "Hope has been a tremendous asset in helping us to do that."

State Rep. Larry Walker of Perry, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, says that he's concerned about the program because large numbers of students continue to lose their Hope grants.

But Walker says he's never been satisfied with the idea of using a B average as the criteria for the scholarship.

"A B in some schools could be a C in some," Walker says, adding that he prefers some type of standardized test measure. Further, he says, teachers may be under pressure to inflate the grades of some students because "they know it's a monetary thing."

But Henry says in his report that he sees no evidence of grade inflation in the Hope scholarship program.

"If it was a result of grade inflation, you would see SAT scores go down," he says. "But in fact, SAT scores are rising. That suggests to us there has been no grade inflation in high school."