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White House launches $100M competition to expand tuition-free community college
Washington Post | 4/25/16
Behind the Headline
Should Community College Be Free?
Education Next | Winter 2016
Vice President Biden will announce today that the White House will award $100 million in grants to expand workforce training programs at community colleges.
The programs will be partnerships between employers, training programs, and community colleges and will “extend tuition-free education to unemployed, underemployed and low-income workers to enter industries that require skilled labor.” The programs are meant to build on President Obama’s goal of making tuition at community colleges free.
The Winter 2016 issue of Ed Next included a debate on whether community college should be free.
In the forum, Sara Goldrick-Rab, who is the co-author of a paper that helped shape the president’s plan for free community college, calls for an even more expansive effort—one that includes funding for students’ living and other expenses while they pursue an associate degree at any public institution.
In response, Andrew Kelly argues that the Obama plan will not address low rates of college readiness and student success but will strain public budgets and crowd out innovation.
—Education Next
