Sure, some spots in the admitted class go to athletes, but they do not get any additional money that other admits don't get (at the Ivys). As some admissions spots go to legacies, some to under represented minorities, etc. I still stand by the statement that you do not have to go to a top 30 school to get a great education. And there is a lot of aid money out there if you plan carefully and your kid has excellent grades and test scores (as most of ours on this board will). There is far too much focus on getting into a "top" school, IMHO. We want our kids to be challenged and get a good education, of course. But Ivy or top 10 University or top 10 LAC are not the only way to do that.
Call me cynical, but I think more merit aid (government backed or otherwise) would not create more tiger parents/good students. The sports culture in our country is about a lot more than college scholarships. And the anti-intellectual wave that has swept over the country lately (and cuts going on in many states to higher education for everyone, not just talented students) indicate that we have a much bigger problem than not enough merit aid money.
I feel like this guy's proposals sound good on the surface, but I am not sure that the carrot of merit money would trickle down to behavior (and education system) changes that would be needed long before a student gets to high school so they are prepared to legitimately compete for access to top colleges.
