Memo to the media: Let's be clear on what the College Board is

The College Board released its annual report on tuition for the 2008-2009 school year and, no big surprise, it's getting worse.

According to the Associated Press, "Average tuition at four-year public colleges in the U.S. climbed 6.5 percent, or $429, to $7,020 this fall as schools apologetically passed on much of their own financial problems, according to an annual report from the College Board, released Tuesday. At private colleges, tuition rose 4.4 percent, or $1,096, to $26,273."

But just so that we have the frame of reference right, we need to be very clear on what exactly the College Board is -- because most people don't quite understand. According to AP, the College Board is a "not-for-profit, which promotes college access and owns the SAT tries to strike a balance. It tries to sound the alarm about rising prices without scaring students into thinking college is out of reach."