President Obama’s proposal to provide up to $3,800 of free
tuition at community colleges has received wide-ranging consideration. From
editorials in publications like our own Rome
Sentinel, to Op-Eds
by Tom Hanks and others
in the New York Times, the proposal has grabbed a fair amount of attention in
the past two weeks.
Hanks wrote a wonderful piece about his community college
days at Chabot College. The thousands of
responses from community college alumni have been inspiring to read for all of
us who work in community colleges throughout the country. We see the financial
challenges of our students every day, as they try to overcome financial hurdles
and secure a college credential in pursuit of a better life.
From the student loan debt
figures to the individual stories of college students today, the need for bold
proposals and new thinking is easily justified. Consideration should be given
to the reality that free public education through high school served as a
catalyst to transform this nation from an agricultural society to a modern
industrial one and likewise, the bar must be raised through an additional two
years of public education to fully move us into the information age that
continues to rapidly transform our society.
However, the recent editorials,
media coverage, and responses are informing an increasingly nuanced view of the
President’s proposal. Countless research studies show that human beings try
harder and perform better when we have some skin in the game compared to the
potential complacency that comes when something is free. With 80% of community
college students nationwide working full or part time while enrolled, many
would argue just managing their busy lives is “skin in the game” enough to
warrant this expansion of public education.
The dialogue on this proposal
should not focus solely on tuition, given that it’s covered for the neediest
students through current federal and state financial aid programs. Conversation is needed to go beyond student access to include attention to student completion. More direct research on
student completion demonstrates the importance of grit and motivation (Tough,
2012) as well as attachment and involvement (Astin, 1999) for students to
actually graduate. The President’s proposal is a big idea that has many sides
to it – it should be just the beginning. What should the parameters really be? What
should we mean by “responsible students” who would be eligible? All of this
should be discussed, debated, and decided.
Unfortunately, the largest
issue of all is the lack of productive dialogue in Washington. The proposal was
rolled out with all the trappings of a “too good to be true” late night television
commercial that prompted criticisms of this administration, calling this
extension of public education a free entitlement.
Rather than all parties recognizing the need, affirming the realities, and
refining the idea together in order to help our society move forward, political
gridlock rules the day!
It’s a shame that the needs of
students and employers alike are trampled under the dysfunction of this
country’s modern-day politics. For our part, community colleges will continue
to do what we’ve always done—navigate the winds of change to produce the best
possible outcomes for our students and local economies.
