Argumentative Essay: What Makes A Community College Free?
This past January, President Obama unveiled his new $60 billion initiative to make two years of tuition free for community college. Unsurprisingly, political pundits from the right, and more surprisingly, pundits from the left, mobilized to attack his plan. His “America’s College Promise” provides free tuition for the first two years of community college for, in his own words, “everybody who’s willing to work for it.” Ultimately, this news serves as a positive beacon for the future of prospective students, for the community college community, and for the future of America’s middle class and prevailing workforce.
The White House document covers a lot, so here is the breakdown - one, federal funding would effectively cover about 75 percent …show more content…
of the average costs of community colleges, while states would pick up the other quarter. Two, there are eligibility prerequisites; students will have to attend their college at least “half-time,” while also making progress towards graduation, additionally having a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Finally, the funded community colleges must offer programs that guarantee transfer credits to four-year universities, or provide occupational training as a substitute1.
Community colleges have become the most affordable option for low-income individuals since the decline of state funding for public schools.
Unfortunately, community college enrollment has increasingly become more expensive, with one study suggesting that it ultimately may not be a cheaper alternative to four-year universities . “America’s College Promise” is a major chance to reverse that trend by making community college free for millions of students.
Here are four major reasons as to why “America’s College Promise” can help this country:
1) Increased Wage Earnings
In 2009, Contemporary Economic Policy conducted a study finding that enrollment in academic programs at community colleges had a significant effect on wage earnings . For men, graduates earned around 12 percent more than their high school-educated counterparts. For women, the statistics were even more significant; they earned about 46 percent more than their high school-educated contemporaries.
The American Association of Community Colleges found similar results. They also found direct correlations towards societal benefits . For example, individuals with higher degrees in society yield less unemployment, crime, and health costs. Worker productivity is also a beneficiary of higher education, as is the clear strengthening of the economic base.
2) Higher Graduation and Retention
Rates
Despite the high enrollment in community colleges, retention and graduation rates are staggering. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only about 20 percent of students fully obtain their degrees or certificates . Studies have shown that people do not complete their educations due to the amount they must work outside of their studies. Some additional reasons could include necessity of childcare, affordability (in terms of wanting to buy groceries versus an education), and other time-consuming activities. The free tuition could incentivize students to work less hours, or maybe reinvest that money into providing babysitting services, buying those groceries, and so on.
The program based in Tennessee, where the White House received its inspiration, requires students who accept the free tuition to attend school full-time . Modeling it based on this method could help overall; it would certainly boost the graduation rates of the enrolled students.
3) Reinvigoration of Community Colleges and its Students
The resurgence of community college enrollment would be a boon to the education industry. During the recession, enrollment rates were at an all-time high; with people losing positions and looking to education as a light in the darkness, community colleges were growing. However, since then, the rates have steadily declined, even with new online programs being created to supplement people’s accessibility to education . The greater incentive and access for more students to community college can and will lead to a reversing of this downward trend.
Additionally, this will all but guarantee to high schoolers and others that they will have the opportunity to attend university. We will be branching out a much wider umbrella to the disadvantaged; plus, we would be extending greater skills to a wider consumer base. We may inspire future students to go even further and pursue graduate degrees, or we may confer even more beneficial technical and vocational skills to a growing working class. We can also combat the expanding threat of expensive community college . Their purpose is to provide affordable and quality education to the people that need it the most. The benefits are there - and they are obvious.
4) Because We CAN Afford It
Think about it. The average American’s initial fear would be the financing of this new program. Sure, that may be justifiable after our budget is spent. But look at it from a new angle - redistribution. We could start with moving money from oil and fossil fuel subsidies (and in addition to investing in cleaner energy, a topic for a different discussion), which is about $21 billion per year, and levying some funds towards free tuition . Last year, the Pentagon even recommended cutting about $3.8 billion from their own budget . It is pretty clear that America has the money; we just spend it in ways that do not really benefit the greater good. Even further, we take taxpayer money and could actually reinvest it back in the taxpayer base.
It is time to finish transforming education into a right, not a privilege. Do you want to be on the side that stifles progress or the side that advances it?
With the evolution of education, the weight of a high school diploma is waning; it has become another notch in a checklist for most people. Current basic education has changed dramatically. The specialization of jobs throughout the labor market diminishes the significance of academics and skills conferred to individuals through high school. Many without higher degrees, starting at the community college level, face a lack of job security in modest positions, lower wages, and extremely limited social mobility. We can change this with one first step - truly publicize community colleges by making tuition free for those who need it to be.
The White House document covers a lot, so here is the breakdown - one, federal funding would effectively cover about 75 percent …show more content…
of the average costs of community colleges, while states would pick up the other quarter. Two, there are eligibility prerequisites; students will have to attend their college at least “half-time,” while also making progress towards graduation, additionally having a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Finally, the funded community colleges must offer programs that guarantee transfer credits to four-year universities, or provide occupational training as a substitute1.
Community colleges have become the most affordable option for low-income individuals since the decline of state funding for public schools.
Unfortunately, community college enrollment has increasingly become more expensive, with one study suggesting that it ultimately may not be a cheaper alternative to four-year universities . “America’s College Promise” is a major chance to reverse that trend by making community college free for millions of students.
Here are four major reasons as to why “America’s College Promise” can help this country:
1) Increased Wage Earnings
In 2009, Contemporary Economic Policy conducted a study finding that enrollment in academic programs at community colleges had a significant effect on wage earnings . For men, graduates earned around 12 percent more than their high school-educated counterparts. For women, the statistics were even more significant; they earned about 46 percent more than their high school-educated contemporaries.
The American Association of Community Colleges found similar results. They also found direct correlations towards societal benefits . For example, individuals with higher degrees in society yield less unemployment, crime, and health costs. Worker productivity is also a beneficiary of higher education, as is the clear strengthening of the economic base.
2) Higher Graduation and Retention
Rates
Despite the high enrollment in community colleges, retention and graduation rates are staggering. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only about 20 percent of students fully obtain their degrees or certificates . Studies have shown that people do not complete their educations due to the amount they must work outside of their studies. Some additional reasons could include necessity of childcare, affordability (in terms of wanting to buy groceries versus an education), and other time-consuming activities. The free tuition could incentivize students to work less hours, or maybe reinvest that money into providing babysitting services, buying those groceries, and so on.
The program based in Tennessee, where the White House received its inspiration, requires students who accept the free tuition to attend school full-time . Modeling it based on this method could help overall; it would certainly boost the graduation rates of the enrolled students.
3) Reinvigoration of Community Colleges and its Students
The resurgence of community college enrollment would be a boon to the education industry. During the recession, enrollment rates were at an all-time high; with people losing positions and looking to education as a light in the darkness, community colleges were growing. However, since then, the rates have steadily declined, even with new online programs being created to supplement people’s accessibility to education . The greater incentive and access for more students to community college can and will lead to a reversing of this downward trend.
Additionally, this will all but guarantee to high schoolers and others that they will have the opportunity to attend university. We will be branching out a much wider umbrella to the disadvantaged; plus, we would be extending greater skills to a wider consumer base. We may inspire future students to go even further and pursue graduate degrees, or we may confer even more beneficial technical and vocational skills to a growing working class. We can also combat the expanding threat of expensive community college . Their purpose is to provide affordable and quality education to the people that need it the most. The benefits are there - and they are obvious.
4) Because We CAN Afford It
Think about it. The average American’s initial fear would be the financing of this new program. Sure, that may be justifiable after our budget is spent. But look at it from a new angle - redistribution. We could start with moving money from oil and fossil fuel subsidies (and in addition to investing in cleaner energy, a topic for a different discussion), which is about $21 billion per year, and levying some funds towards free tuition . Last year, the Pentagon even recommended cutting about $3.8 billion from their own budget . It is pretty clear that America has the money; we just spend it in ways that do not really benefit the greater good. Even further, we take taxpayer money and could actually reinvest it back in the taxpayer base.
It is time to finish transforming education into a right, not a privilege. Do you want to be on the side that stifles progress or the side that advances it?
With the evolution of education, the weight of a high school diploma is waning; it has become another notch in a checklist for most people. Current basic education has changed dramatically. The specialization of jobs throughout the labor market diminishes the significance of academics and skills conferred to individuals through high school. Many without higher degrees, starting at the community college level, face a lack of job security in modest positions, lower wages, and extremely limited social mobility. We can change this with one first step - truly publicize community colleges by making tuition free for those who need it to be.