Here’s some positivity.
President Obama proposed two years of free community college for American workers late Thursday. Earlier that day, the president announced the proposal would be coming in a video uploaded to Facebook.
“Put simply, what I’d like to do is to see the first two years of community college free for anybody who’s willing to work for it,” he said. “It’s something we can accomplish, and it’s something that will train our workforce so that we can compete with anyone in the world.”
Obama said a world-class education starts with children, but that adults need training, too. “It’s not just for kids, we also have to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to constantly train themselves for better jobs, better wages, better benefits.”
The America’s College Promise proposal could save eligible students $3,800 a year in tuition, the White House said.
President Obama’s #FreeCommunityCollege plan could benefit about 9 million students per year → http://t.co/8YTKdPKa7U pic.twitter.com/wQIyQRL8k9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 8, 2015
According to the White House, here are the requirements for the program:
- What students have to do: Students must attend community college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program.
- What community colleges have to do: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that are either 1) academic programs that fully transfer credits to local public four-year colleges and universities, or 2) occupational training programs with high graduation rates and lead to in-demand degrees and certificates. Community colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes.
- What the federal government has to do: Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. Participating states will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate the tuition for eligible students.
The president is expected to make a formal announcement Friday. Click here to watch Obama’s #FreeCommunityCollege video.
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SOURCE: USA Today, Facebook, WhiteHouse.gov | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
