Group Calls for Overhaul of Federal Student Aid System

A college access organization called for a "thorough overhaul" of the federal student aid system Wednesday with a new paper that recommends a series of reforms that would steer more resources toward students with the greatest need.

An overarching objective of the reforms is to help more students actually complete college, not just get into college, said Kim Cook, executive director of the National College Access Network, or NCAN, which released a paper titled "Increasing Return on Investment from Federal Student Aid."

Deborah Santiago, Vice President for Policy and Research at Excelencia in Education, a national organization that focuses on increasing the number of Latinos in postsecondary education, reiterated the paper's call for relevant information on student outcomes.

"You have to focus on appropriate metrics," Santiago said, criticizing metrics that focus on access instead of completion.