Should more people go to college?
President Obama announced a $12 billion community college proposal to increase the number of associate degree graduates by 5 million by 2020.
The boost to two-year and technical colleges, he said, will stimulate the economy and prepare students for a workplace that is demanding more highly educated employees.
Here’s how the $12 billion breaks down:
* $9 billion in competitive grants so colleges can try new programs, expand training and improve counseling.
* $2.5 billion for campus construction. This would serve as seed money for capital campaigns.
* $500 million to develop online courses.
How will we pay for this? Obama said the money would be paid out over 10 years and would come from no longer subsidizing banks and private lenders that provide student loans. (A bill changing federal student loans is before Congress.)
What’s interesting about this plan is the focus it places on community colleges. While these institutions enroll about half of all the students attending college, they are often considered the stepchild to four-year schools.
As people lose jobs they turn to community colleges, particularly technical programs, for retraining and to learn new careers.
The State University System of Georgia and others are trying to boost interest in two-year programs as a way to accommodate increased enrollment.
And let’s not forget that these schools are cheaper than four-year programs.
What do you think of the president’s plan? Who do you think would benefit from it?
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69 comments Add your comment
Steve
July 19th, 2009
8:49 am
Move the academic/technical track to the middle school and base it on performance and not preference, choice or parental influence. I firmly believe in community colleges and technical schools. These do allow a person to transition from tech track to academic (or vica versa) once they mature and realize their life and goal desires. This would put us on track with the European and Asian academic models that every glorifies. Only our brightest academic students would test against the rest of the world’s best students instead of the current every kid in the US must be college prep even when they are not capable. Virtually all the posts on this subject make sense but them politicians are lacking in that area so NOTHING will change for the better. The reality for most of this is that an associates degree is not as valuable as many think. So, what is the driving force behind this plan? Does this mean that community colleges will be remediation high schools?
leeh1
July 19th, 2009
2:21 pm
I’m against it. We have too many college educated people now. We need more people to stay in the lower classes and do the necessary work for us- cleaning homes, trimming shrubbery, flipping burgers.
The last thing in the world we need are more loud-mouting lower class kids getting jobs away from the farm and getting overpaid.
Jill_SouthDeKalbTeacher
July 19th, 2009
3:04 pm
I know of a teacher who routinely gives his cell phone number to students especially the male students. This teacher is openly gay. I know about students calling him about very personal problems with their families, etc. I think he crosses the line. He has pphotos of these male students in his phone…without shirts on. Their pants are sagging. I don’t know exactly what to do…I think I need to report him to the Professional Standards Commission or somewhere. My colleague says it is my duty.
Skip
July 19th, 2009
4:08 pm
It would be nice of more thugs went to college and got a job instead of breaking in and robbing hard working white people.
Ms H
July 19th, 2009
4:38 pm
Jill: I think I know exactly who you are talking aboaut. I too work in DeKalb (in fact “South” Dekalb). This gay teacher has been to several schools in the “South” Dekalb. He runs his mouth…gossips constantly,…stirs up mess (like to “hit and run”…then try to “hide” his face). People are getting sick of him. You try to be nice to him but he is like a snake…he just want to talk about you…behind your back (and I hear he is much on this blog and many blogs) Yes I hear that he get very very personal with the children. Pictures on his mobile phone, etc. somebody needs to do something. I am a parapro and work with him at three DIFFERENT Dekalb schools in the pass. He keep up mess and like also to talk race (he white). I got a friend who hear him use “N” word and have racial stuff on his computer. A mess…a pure mess…love to talk about ohters behind they backs.
Ron R. C. Lewis
July 19th, 2009
4:47 pm
Nah, “jim d” (one of your many, many monikers talking to each other), ole Ron doesn’t have you confused one bit — not on this blog, the Political Insider blog, Wooten’s blog, the Clayton blog, or any of the others. You are so transparent in your writing that it is really funny. You may fool the amateurs, but the fingerprints of your postings are glaring.
Laura, you’re doing a great job. You are giving us some timely topics. Just don’t pay any attention to the constant complaining from “jim d.”
Ron R. C. Lewis
July 19th, 2009
6:40 pm
Ms. H., ironically your “friend” came on here (in the form of “Skip”) right before you posted. He does indeed have a racial fetish. I think he’ll get his comeuppance. I think, Ms. H., that this person needs to cogitate upon Galatians 6:9. Jill, you have a duty of reporting a fellow teacher if, in your opinion, that teacher truly engages in unprofessional conduct. That is what the Standards say.
Jose of SW
July 19th, 2009
8:39 pm
Yeah, where is jim d? Still crying in the parking lot because Ron called him out? jim d, Lisa B, High School Teacher, Hal, Mom3Thugs, et al. Where are jim d and his “cousins” today? jim d always has all the answers until someone calls him out. Then, he runs like a scalded kitty cat. Or, is that a scalded Catlady? Jefferson Woodward, Shamrock King, Swadee Columbia, Jonesboro Osborne, Parkview Roosevelt. It doesn’t matter where the students go. They need to at least learn a trade. If they cannot work at least with their hands (something that Superintendents like Beverly Hall denies them because she did away with vocational programs to get the almighty test scores up — and we see other ways in which they get the scores up), then they more than likely will become a burden to society or will even turn to crime.
Lilard
July 19th, 2009
9:00 pm
Only three blogs from jim d (or one of his other personalities) today? Hmm. jim d must be running scared. Jose, y’all leave the boy alone. He lives on these blogs. jim d, repeat after me: “One of my many names is jim d, and I am a blogoholic.” Go on home, jim d, and get you some Sweet Onions. You can’t compete with the Kingfish.
Don
July 19th, 2009
9:41 pm
Word, Lilard, word, but you’re just like Madea. That’s what these youngins in school need. It’s not so much about technical schools, etc. It’s about them sitting on their asses and not doing anything to improve themselves. Then, they have sorry superintendents like Beverly Hall and Crawford Lewis who just want to indulge them. Heck, the school systems need at least one Madea at each school. Hel-ler!
Courtney
July 20th, 2009
12:36 am
Less people should go to college. But there should be something else to do. Not something less than college, but just different. Almost all professions do not require college degrees. Sure college is fun but does it really train you? If so, then why do you have to intern after getting out?? What have I been doing?
Dr. Craig Spinks /Evans
July 20th, 2009
3:51 am
When do we move from posting to considered, coordinated actions to solve some of these problems we’ve identified? Actions speak much more loudly than words. craigspinks@aol.com
admin
July 20th, 2009
1:31 pm
So nursing students in NC come to Atlanta to do clinicals at Emory? hmmm…. Many of the nursing programs here have a hard time placing their students.
Also, remember that most of the technical college are SACS accredited, so they cant function like they used to when they were really trade schools. Those without accreditation are on the path towards it.
And Teach, I agree, more emphasis needs to be placed on quality and integrity if the tech schools want to be taken seriously.
hryder
July 20th, 2009
6:01 pm
The answer is no. In fact, Hell No!. The ridiculousness of giving everybody everything eliminates the incentive to strive for anything. Keep this trend going forward and we will become a fourth world nation(meant to indicate less than a third world nation) and many of us will migrate to New Zealand.
The Sarge
July 22nd, 2009
3:57 am
Too many kids, including yours truly (but that’s another story in another time warp), go to college in order to “find themselves”. If the kid knows what he/she wants to do with their lives, and this goal involves a bachelors degree, fine…head for the halls of academe. If, on the other hand, the kid’s goal is best attained through trade school/associate degree (which, in most cases, is essentialy a trades-training coupled with a supporting academic background), than that should be the path of preparation. I believe, however, that most, perhaps the majority, kids walk off that HS graduation platform with little in the way of vocational orientation (again, yours truly attests). Without picking up the hot potato of mandatory Military service, I believe some form of public servitude is an excellent means of “finding ones’ self”, of determining just exactly what one wants to do with ones’ life, and what kind of training/preparation would be required in this quest.
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Roderick Nunn
July 27th, 2009
6:05 pm
Resources come at a critical time
Community Colleges are over-utilized and under-resourced at a critical time in our nation’s history. Even before the recession, enrollments at these institutions were way up. Whether we are talking accelerated workforce training programs or in-demand career and tech ed programs that lead to degrees and certificates of value, we need to ensure that community colleges have the resources and are held accountable to produce quality ‘middle-skill’ professionals that constitute the majority of jobs in our economy (e.g. allied health technicians, line installers, computer support technicians, lab technicians, truck drivers, etc.). This will be critical during the economic rebound as new jobs come back on-line, but only if community colleges also improve completion rates and build effective pathways with 4 year universities. Read the entire plan and you will see that programming issues were also addressed in addition to facilities investments. I look forward to a collegial debate an outcome that allows this nation’s youngest sector of education to mature and prosper with the New Economy during and after the recovery.
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