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…
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
The White House document covers a lot, so here is the breakdown - one, federal funding would effectively cover about 75 percent …show more content…
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