Tuesday, April 21, 2015
“Education remains the single greatest avenue of upward mobility our society has ever known. But the mounting costs of higher education place it out of reach for too many Americans, holding them back from their full potential or burdening them with unimaginable debt for years to come. In the richest nation on earth, there is no excuse for erecting and maintaining these barriers to professional growth.”A statement by Schatz:
“Our message is clear: we need to do more to make college more affordable for all students so that they can graduate without debt holding them back. The federal government, states, and schools all have a role to play in cutting the cost of college. This is a problem we can solve, and we can start by working to make sure institutions receiving federal funding are doing their part to make a degree more affordable and accessible for all students.”This resolution is backed by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (they want to put the issue at the top of priorities in the 2016 presidential campaign), according to a write up by The Huffington Post.
A paper co-authored by the PCCC and Demos, a liberal think tank, argues that debt can be reduced through a combination of educational offerings and accountability measures. The groups' suggestions include increasing the number of advanced placement courses and early college high school programs that are offered, ensuring that schools aren't using federal money for advertising and requiring schools with large endowments to guarantee debt-free college.In January, President Obama proposed making two years of community college free for any student who has a GPA of at least 2.5, is enrolled at least part-time and is working on completing a program or transferring to a four-year university.
Tags: university , college , community college , tuition , obama , raul grijalva , tuition , loans , debt , economy