buzzz worthy. . .
White House Unveils America’s College Promise Proposal: President Obama states his case for Tuition-Free Community College for Responsible Students
"Community college should be free for those who are willing to work for it," said President Obama on January 9 during an address at Pellissippi State College in Knoxville, TN. Under the proposed plan for higher education qualifying students would get two years of free education. Eligibility for the plan enrolled half tome maintain 2.5 and working toward a degree. Participating states would have to take care of a quarter of the cost with a financial breakdown of $60 billion federal an $20 billion for participating states. The White House plans to roll out how costs will be handled in its budget next month.
From the White House. . .
White House Unveils America’s College Promise Proposal: President Obama states his case for Tuition-Free Community College for Responsible Students
"Community college should be free for those who are willing to work for it," said President Obama on January 9 during an address at Pellissippi State College in Knoxville, TN. Under the proposed plan for higher education qualifying students would get two years of free education. Eligibility for the plan enrolled half tome maintain 2.5 and working toward a degree. Participating states would have to take care of a quarter of the cost with a financial breakdown of $60 billion federal an $20 billion for participating states. The White House plans to roll out how costs will be handled in its budget next month.
From the White House. . .
Nearly
a century ago, a movement that made high school widely available helped
lead to rapid growth in the education and skills training of Americans,
driving decades of
economic growth and prosperity. America thrived in the 20th
century in large part because we had the most educated workforce in the
world. But other nations have matched or exceeded the secret to our
success. Today, more than ever, Americans need
more knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a growing global
economy without having to take on decades of debt before they even
embark on their career.
Today
the President is unveiling the America’s College Promise proposal to
make two years of community college free for responsible students,
letting students earn the first
half of a bachelor’s degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at
no cost. This proposal will require everyone to do their part: community
colleges must strengthen their programs and increase the number of
students who graduate, states must invest more
in higher education and training, and students must take responsibility
for their education, earn good grades, and stay on track to graduate.
The program would be undertaken in partnership with states and is
inspired by new programs in Tennessee and Chicago.
If all states participate, an estimated 9 million students could
benefit. A full-time community college student could save an average of
$3,800 in tuition per year.
In
addition, today the President will propose a new American Technical
Training Fund to expand innovative, high-quality technical training
programs similar to Tennessee Tech
Centers that meet employer needs and help prepare more Americans for
better paying jobs. These proposals build on a number of historic
investments the President has made in college affordability and quality
since taking office, including a $1,000 increase
in the maximum Pell Grant award to help working and middle class
families, the creation of the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit,
reforming student loans to eliminate subsidies to banks to invest in
making college more affordable and keeping student debt
manageable, and making available over $2 billion in grants to connect
community colleges with employers to develop programs that are designed
to get hard-working students good jobs.
The President’s Plan: Make Two Years of College as Free and Universal as High School
By
2020, an estimated 35 percent of job openings will require at least a
bachelor’s degree and 30 percent will require some college or an
associate’s degree. Forty percent
of college students are enrolled at one of America’s more than 1,100
community colleges, which offer students affordable tuition, open
admission policies, and convenient locations. They are particularly
important for students who are older, working, need
remedial classes, or can only take classes part-time. For many
students, they offer academic programs and an affordable route to a
four-year college degree. They are also uniquely positioned to partner
with employers to create tailored training programs to
meet economic needs within their communities such as nursing, health
information technology, and advanced manufacturing.
The
America’s College Promise proposal would create a new partnership with
states to help them waive tuition in high-quality programs for
responsible students, while promoting
key reforms to help more students complete at least two years of
college. Restructuring the community college experience, coupled with
free tuition, can lead to gains in student enrollment, persistence, and
completion transfer, and employment. Specifically,
here is what the initiative will mean:
Enhancing Student Responsibility and Cutting the Cost of College for All Americans:
Students who attend at least
half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA while in college, and make steady progress
toward completing their program will have their tuition eliminated.
These students
will be able to earn half of the academic credit they need for a
four-year degree or earn a certificate or two-year degree to prepare
them for a good job.
Building High-Quality Community Colleges:
Community colleges will be
expected to offer programs that either (1) are academic programs that
fully transfer to local public four-year colleges and universities,
giving students
a chance to earn half of the credit they need for a four-year degree,
or (2) are occupational training programs with high graduation rates and
that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among
employers. Other types of programs will not be eligible
for free tuition. Colleges must also adopt promising and
evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes, such
as the effective Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) programs
at the City University of New York which waive tuition,
help students pay for books and transit costs, and provide academic
advising and supportive scheduling programs to better meet the needs of
participating students, resulting in greater gains in college
persistence and degree completion.
Ensuring Shared Responsibility with States:
Federal funding will
cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. States
that choose to participate will be expected to contribute the remaining
funds necessary to eliminate community college tuition for eligible
students. States that already invest more and
charge students less can make smaller contributions, though all
participating states will be required to put up some matching funds.
States must also commit to continue existing investments in higher
education; coordinate high schools, community colleges,
and four-year institutions to reduce the need for remediation and
repeated courses; and allocate a significant portion of funding based on
performance, not enrollment alone. States will have flexibility to use
some resources to expand quality community college
offerings, improve affordability at four-year public universities, and
improve college readiness, through outreach and early intervention.
Expanding Technical Training for Middle Class Jobs.
Additionally, in order to spread
the availability of high-quality and innovative programs like those in
Tennessee and Texas, which achieve better than average completion and
employment outcomes, the President is also proposing the American
Technical Training Fund. This fund will award programs
that have strong employer partnerships and include work-based learning
opportunities, provide accelerated training, and are scheduled to
accommodate part-time work. Programs could be created within current
community colleges or other training institutions.
The focus of the discretionary budget proposal would be to help
high-potential, low-wage workers gain the skills to work into growing
fields with significant numbers of middle-class jobs that local
employers are trying to fill such as energy, IT, and advanced
manufacturing. This program will fund the start-up of 100 centers and
scale those efforts in succeeding years. Smaller grants would help to
bring together partners and start a pilot program. Larger grants would
be used for expanding programs based on evidence
of effectiveness, which could include past performance on graduation
rates, job placement rates and placement wages. Building on the
President’s community college initiative, known as the Trade Adjustment
Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants
and for which 2014 was the final year of funding, these funds will help
community colleges become more job-driven.
Building on State and Local Programs.
In the past year, Tennessee and the City of
Chicago initiated free community college programs. In the first year
of the Tennessee program, 57,000 students representing almost 90 percent
of the state’s high school graduating class applied for the program.
The scholarship is coupled with college counseling,
mentorship, and community service that early evidence suggests supports
greater enrollment, persistence and college completion. This is
coupled with efforts to spur innovation and improvement by funding
colleges using performance outcomes based on student
success and an innovative approach to career and technical education
through the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology. These Tennessee
Tech Centers have a graduation rate of 80 percent and a job placement
rate of 85 percent.
Building on a Record of Progress.
Since taking office, President Obama has taken steps
to expand federal support to help more students afford college, while
calling for a shared responsibility in tackling rising college costs.
Key achievements include:
·
Doubling the Investment in Pell Grants:
The President has raised the maximum Pell
Grant award to $5,730 for the 2014-15 award year — a nearly $1,000
increase since 2008. The number of Pell Grant recipients has expanded by
50 percent over that same time.
·
Expanding Education Tax Credits: President Obama established the American Opportunity
Tax Credit in 2009 to assist families with the costs of college, providing up to $10,000 for four years of college tuition.
·
Pay-As-You-Earn Loans:
All
new borrowers can now cap loan payments at 10 percent of their incomes.
The Department of Education has begun the process to amend its
regulations and will make the new plan available
on all direct loans by December 2015. We expect it to benefit up to 5
million borrowers.
·
First in the World Grants:
In
September, the Department of Education awarded $75 million to 24
colleges and universities under the new First in the World grant program
to expand college access and improve student
learning while reducing costs.
·
College Ratings Program:
The Department of Education continues to develop a college
ratings system by the 2015-2015 school year that will recognize
institutions that excel at enrolling students from all backgrounds;
focus on maintaining affordability; and succeed at helping all students
graduate with a degree or certificate of value.
·
Job-Driven Training Grants:
Through
the Trade Adjustment Community College and Career Training program more
than 1,000 institutions have received $2 billion in federal funding to
design education and training
programs, working closely with employers and industry that prepare
workers for jobs in-demand in their regional economies, such as health
care, information technology and energy. These programs have shown early
success -- through the end of FY2013, among the
nearly 164,000 individuals who had enrolled in these programs 88
percent either completed a program or continued the program into a
second year.
·
White House Summit on Community Colleges:
In
October 2010, the President convened community college leaders, faculty
and students; business leaders; philanthropic organizations; and other
workforce development experts for
the first White House summit dedicated to the role that community
colleges play in our efforts to increase the number of college graduates
and prepare those graduates to lead the 21st century workforce.
·
Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness:
Last
August, the Department of Education launched a new $10 million
Institute for Education Sciences-funded Center for the Analysis of
Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) that is working
to strengthen the research, evaluation, and support of college
readiness efforts across the nation. CAPR is documenting current
practices in developmental English and math education to identify
innovative instructional practices that improve student success.
·
Call to Action on College Opportunity:
Last December, the President, Vice President,
and First Lady joined college presidents and leaders of non-profits,
foundations, and other organizations to announce over 600 new
commitments to produce more college graduates. Community colleges made
commitments individually, and in partnership with neighboring
school districts and four-year institutions, to build seamless
transitions among institutions, develop clear educational and career
pathways, implement strategies to increase student completion of STEM
programs, and establish more accurate measures of student
progress and success.