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Should Free College Be A Free School?

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College is an institution that helps individuals earn the skills they need for their future occupations and a medium that allows graduates to acquire higher incomes than those with no education beyond high school. Nevertheless, it affects graduates negatively because of the high tuition and student loan debt associated with it. As a result, many political leaders advocate a free post secondary education. In 2015, Tennessee’s state governor Bill Haslam signed the Tennessee Promise, a policy that provides all high school graduates two years of free community college through lottery funds. A few months later, former President Barack Obama presented a free community college proposal. The following year, presidential candidates Bernie Sanders …show more content…

Nevertheless, the economy can still benefit from a free postsecondary education, as everyone would have the potential to earn a college degree, graduate, obtain a high-paying job, and deposit their money in the market economy without having to worry about student loan repayments. A college education serves as a way for normal individuals to possibly earn a high income, allowing them to spend their money on goods and services.
A free postsecondary education will benefit the economy as it allows more individuals to graduate college, permitting the middle class to grow and put more money in the markets. In his article Higher Education, Wages, and Polarization, Rob Valletta asserts that a postsecondary education brings distinct advantages in the labor market. The author includes a graph comparing the rising wage gaps of those with a college or postgraduate degree to those solely with a high school diploma, which depicts individuals who have sought a higher education as receivers of a larger income (2). This implies that a college degree contributes to a graduate’s financial success and spending power. Graduates are more likely to use their paychecks in the market economy, as they have more money. In addition, Erin Dillon, a senior policy analyst at Education Sector, argues that college is worth the money, as graduates have an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent while high school students have an

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