Advocates worry about Trump administration funding for college‑access programs for low-income students

Some education advocates accuse the Education Department of an “assault on college access” centering around federal funding for a program that helps disadvantaged students pursue higher education.

Talent Search is one of DOE federally funded TRIO programs that serve 300,000 students around the country, mainly in grades 6-12, who are low-income and will be first-generation college students. The program offers resources such as campus visits, family workshops, test preparation, and assistance with scholarship and financial aid applications.

This year, DOE’s grant application stated that the Talent Search program should “present apprenticeships, career and technical education, and integration with the workforce system as equally viable and often faster routes to economic mobility as traditional college programs.”

Essentially, there would be greater emphasis on workforce training rather than college preparation.

“So many of our students and our alumni have gone on to literally become astronauts, professors, engineers, captains of industry, members of Congress, and we don’t want to close that pipeline of opportunity to those students,” said Kimberly Jones, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).

Jones explained that her group isn’t opposed to workforce development, but that the federal government already has other programs for that purpose and that Talent Search is one of the few specifically for college access for low-income students.

Under the new Talent Search criteria, COE said up to two-thirds of current programs may not qualify for funding and would be forced to close.

“The purpose of higher education is to improve the lives of Americans and ensure they are well-equipped to enter in-demand, high-wage careers – regardless of which educational pathway they choose,” DOE said in a statement. “It’s a shame that an advocacy group claiming to promote opportunity would instead stand as a barrier to upward mobility and student success.”

Last summer, the Trump administration attempted to cut funding for Upward Bound, another federally funded TRIO program that supports low-income students in pursuing college. Earlier this year, a federal judge temporarily blocked those cuts.

“There is definitely a lot of anxiety among students, uncertainty and concern among the students and parents, and they should be focused on their education,” Jones said. “They should not be focused on whether the federal government is taking steps to rip away their opportunity.”

“Just going into something new that I’ve never experienced, that they never experienced, I felt like it was a lot of pressure on me,” said first-generation college student Francine Bonsu of Hyattsville, Maryland, who is one of thousands of students taking advantage of Talent Search nationally. “Talent Search helped me get more knowledge on what I’m actually getting into, not just education, but community-wise, and why it’s beneficial for me.”

Bonsu participated in the Talent Search through the University of Maryland and is now a college student in Florida. She said Talent Search encouraged her to pursue that path after she didn’t plan on attending college initially.