|
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.
|
