No one could ever accuse Congressman Chaka Fattah of being timid about taking risks.
This charismatic and affable forty-year-old Philadelphia native has built a career on beating the political odds.
Earlier this year, Fattah introduced legislation entitled the “21st
Century Scholars Act of 1997.” The legislation, designated H.R. 777,
would target kids in areas of 75 percent poverty or greater. The bill
would require the federal government to notify sixth graders from
designated areas that they are guaranteed four years of the maximum
Pell grant award for their postsecondary education. The goal of the
program is to motivate low-income students to complete their education
since participants can only take advantage of Pell grants if they
graduate from high school.
“Right now, it’s important to help position these students, and get
them well prepared so they can go on to college and other postsecondary
institutions,” says Fattah, a former Pell Grant recipient.
The 21st Century Scholars Program is modeled after private ventures,
such as the “I Have a Dream” program created by millionaire Eugene
Lang. In 1981, Lang promised full college tuition to a class of sixth
graders at his old elementary school in East Harlem. Ninety percent of
the class earned high school diplomas – compared to a 25 percent
projection that would have gone to college without a tuition guarantee.
Sixty percent of the East Harlem class went on to college.
Fattah says there are a number of similar programs at work in his
Philadelphia district. He believes the track record of these private
programs has demonstrated they can work at the federal level.
“We observe that students who receive advance notification that
their college will be paid for make different decisions about their
lives, and are far more likely to graduate from high school and go on
to college,” Fattah says.
