Monday, May 05, 2008

Fact Check

The New York Times, April 20, 2008:

The number of low-income students at top institutions is still fairly low but is growing. The share of Harvard undergraduates receiving Pell grants rose to 13 percent this year, from 10 percent in 2003-4. At Amherst, over the same span, the number has risen to 18 percent from 15 percent.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2, 2008:
Elite colleges have made headlines in recent years with financial-aid plans aimed at enrolling more low-income students. But despite those efforts, the proportion of financially needy undergraduates at the nation's wealthiest colleges and universities actually dropped between the 2004-5 and 2006-7 academic years, according to a Chronicle analysis of federal Pell Grant data.

Thus illustrating the difference between an article based on anecdotal stories from a non-representative sample, and an article based on actual analysis of data.  

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