| For several decades education has been used to catapult the less advantaged citizens into higher social classes and also into the political process. Education has assumed a vital role in this country's economic, social and political development. As a testament to education's fundamental importance in our society numerous programs were designed during the 1960s to eliminate the barriers that many low income persons encountered as they pursued higher education. However, the last few decades have witnessed a slow erosion of many of the programs. In the wake of mass state reversal of affirmative action plans, and an extensive broadening of the financial aid legislation to include individuals from middle and upper income families; low income students' educational opportunities are again being threatened. This research examines the potential resultant consequences for higher education access if the U.S. Department of Education ventures forth with its technology plan for financial aid delivery. More specifically, how will Student Financial Assistance's transition toward a web-based financial aid application process affect college applicants, particularly low-income students, who lack access to technology? Utilizing a national data set of financial aid applicants, several step-wise; discriminant analyses are conducted upon selected demographic variables to ascertain the exact impact this migration will have. This research is intended to serve as a precursor for further discussions regarding the potential impact of the digital divide and the federal government's delivery of electronic services. |
