Political Science

Higher Education Act
The Higher Education Act which was first legislated in 1965 is the culminating legislation designed for the improvement of the higher education system in the United States. With the help of the Higher Education Act, the relationship  between universities and colleges and the United States government increased dramatically.

The state and the federal governments now provide a substantial amount of resources to universities and colleges enabling it to create scholarships and provide financial aids. Because of this new policies and grants in the higher educational system, the number of students who attend post secondary education increased fivefold since the time it was legislated up to 1980. The Higher Education Act is reauthorized every 4 or more years and its latest authorization was on 2008 which is due to expire on 2013. (Forest  Kinser 2002)

Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 20091
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act of 2009 is a bill that amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 and for other purposes.

Goals of the policy
According to  Schneider  Ingram (1997) goals are the objectives of the policy and what it intends to accomplish (p. 82) . In a general retrospect the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009 is a part of the current administrations effort and approach to the improvement of the educational system. It will help in reaching the current administrations goal of producing the most college graduates by 2020 by making the single largest investment in higher education in all time. (Miller 2009)

Specifically, its goals are (1) Invest the bill s savings to make college affordable and help more Americans graduate (2) Provide reliable, affordable, high-quality Federal student loans for all families (3) Provide reliable, affordable, high-quality Federal student loans for all families. (Miller 2009)

Assumptions
Assumptions are basically the foundations of the specifics of the policies drafted and legislated. According to Schneider  Ingram (1997)  We might think of assumptions as sort of like the axioms that underline math.  Assumptions are essentially the unquestioned opinions or values held by the policymakers that guide them in constructing the design.  (p. 82)

In many respects, Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009 is a continuation of the past legislations including the Higher Education Act beliefs and assumptions that there is a growing demand to  revolutionize the education system more specifically the post-secondary levels. The enactment of Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009 is in accordance to the assumption that prior legislations in the Higher Education Act does not correspond anymore to the present demand of our time. Due to inflation, growing Consumer Price Index and other factors some of the enacted specifics of the law are no longer viable and productive. The Section 101 of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009 for example has increased the Pell Grant1  for up to 5,550 in 2011-2012 and 5,975 in 2017 as the maximum amounts for grants. (SAFRA 2009  Miller 2009)

Additionally, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009 is a response to the growing criticisms regarding the failure of The Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) wherein it was said that loans granted favors the banks rather than the students and its families. (Miller 2009)

Rationales
In a nutshell, the rationale of a policy is the culmination of the arguments of the policy makers why there is a need for a policy. According to Schneider  Ingram (1997),  rationales link design elements to context, making explicit claims that the design is responsive to the issue and will have positive effects.  (p. 99) Many critics had observed an ongoing crisis in the educational system of the United States. It was been reported by the National Commission on Excellence in Education that Americans prominence and lead in commerce, industry, science and technological innovation is being threatened by competition throughout the world. In a recent documentary entitled Two Million Minutes A Global Examination, wherein six students from China, India and United States were compared, it was concluded that American students casual attitudes when compared with those of their overseas counterparts, pose a clear and present danger to Americas economic future. American students are unfocused when compared to their counterparts who plan ahead for their future and do works outside the course requirements. (Gardner 2008)

As a response to this alleged crisis, the current administration of President Barrack Obama had given much emphasis to the role of education in battling the financial crisis and pushing for economic growths. Obama believes that the prosperity of the nation in the long term will be attained if we have better educated workers. As he said in his speech in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it is a prerequisite. To fulfill this growing demand for the improvement of the United States education sector, he outline different measures to fulfill it. This includes improvement in K-12, recruitment of better teachers and instructors, promotion of innovations and excellence, reduction of students who drop out and the reassessment of the Pell grants to meet the inflation and other demands of modern times. (Jackson 2009)

Tools
Hortatory Tools
According to Schneider  Ingram (1997) hortatory tools are of the policy that push its target population towards the direction of the policy. This includes the use of the mass media, public speeches, interviews and other means that can encourages or exhorts the subject to be educated and to be able to decide (p. 96) . In the Section 217 of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009, the Congress had tasked the Secretary of Education to conduct outreach activities that will inform students and their families regarding the changes in SAFRA. This tasks includes the broad dissemination including the operation and maintenance of an internet website that will provide the necessary information,  development and dissemination of information to high school seniors and their parents concerning student loans and student aid, giving  assistance to institutions of higher education to educate students on the repayment of Federal Direct loans and other necessary and appropriate measures to accomplish the goal. (SAFRA 2009)

Learning Tools
When the policy makers are not really sure on the way how the goals can be achieved or there are some lapses in the information or intelligence regarding the target population or the policy itself, learning tools are used (Schneider  Ingram 1997 p. 97).

In section 406 the Congress is obliging the Secretary of Education to submit an annual report to the committee of Education and Labor of the House of Representative and to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate that includes information such as but not limited to (1) The activities undertaken by States to increase the availability of high-quality early learning programs, (2) A summary of State progress in implementing a system of early learning, (3) A summary of the research activities being conducted under section 405 and the findings of such research, (4) The number of children in high-quality early learning programs, and the change from the prior year, disaggregated by State, age, and race (5) The number of early learning providers enrolled, with assistance from funds under this title, in a program to obtain a credential or degree in early childhood education and the settings in which such providers work.

In addition to this, Section 406 requires all each state that receives grants to submit an annual report to the Secretary of Education.  (SAFRA 2009)

Agents
In a nutshell, agents are the government agencies, departments or office that will supervise and implement the policy (Schneider  Ingram 1997 p. 90). In the case of Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibilities Act 2009, it will be primarily supervised by the Department of Education wherein the secretary of the department will held the implementation of the policies. The Congress had authorized the Department of Education to assign or provide grants (Section 108), to lead biddings and to award contracts (Section 214), to perform outreach services that inform and educate students and their families (Section 217), to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools (Section 312) and many other tasks. Additionally, the Congress had assigned the Department of Education to submit a report to the Congress annually. (SAFRA 2009)

Conclusion
With the current financial crisis and the rising cost of college education, it is almost impossible for low income families and individuals to pursue a college education. Without assistance from either the state or private institutions, college education will remain a privilege that only rich people can avail. If we still believe that education is the biggest investment anyone can put their hands to, the state must continue to provide subsidies to citizens who are deserving to have it.