"Students from the richest quarter of American families are more than seven times as likely to graduate from college as are kids from the poorest quarter. Black and Latino students are one-half and one-third as likely, respectively, as their white counterparts to earn bachelor's degrees. Lack of financial aid contributes mightily to the problem," The Los Angeles Times reports. "And even as the cost of college continues to grow faster than financial aid, states and universities increasingly have shifted focus from helping the lowest-income students toward helping the middle class. The federal government took a step in the right direction in May when the president signed a bill aimed at shoring up the student loan industry. Outright grants make a wider range of colleges more affordable. They reduce the debt load that low-income kids carry into adulthood and the financial fear factor that drives many poor families away from college. And they help ensure opportunity for smart kids like Aisha, which is what our national promise is all about."