Summary Of Free College Doesn T Fix Everything By Richard Reeves

Should college be free? A current universal problem poses this question. In today’s world, full of public education standards that hold students maybe too high and in a generation bogged down by student debt, this issue qualifies as a problem more than many are maybe even willing to admit. While the prospect of free college proposes excellent ideals such as a stronger and smarter generation, no student loan problems, and a higher educated society, the truth may actually lie in the reality that making college free would do more hindrance than good and is not the answer to these problems. Free college would increase economic problems, according to Andrew P. Kelly, who says it would only shifts the cost to someone else. As well, it would also hinder our education system. Michael J. Petrilli writes that making college free would “probably shift billions of dollars a year from programs that help talented poor kids access higher education and improve our schools”. Although the concept of free higher education is becoming appealing to the general population, it ultimately would create more problems than it solved and do virtually nothing of huge significance to increase the level of intelligence in modern society.

“What Is College For” by Andrew Delbanco, shows the need for both a universal college system; one which caters for all of society, and one which provides a liberal education. Delbanco gives many reasoned thoughts on how, and why the college system has become restricted, to purely those of a higher socio-economic background, rather than being exclusive to people of all backgrounds. The idea of college being a platform for people to learn, advance their skills, and become whatever they want to be has seemingly diminished over time. The ideas in favor of such an educational system are put forward, but they are foreshadowed in my opinion, by the notion that people should have the same educational opportunities in life; regardless of their economic or social background. A universal education system is needed for our society to prosper, especially if it provides a liberal education; this is not just for the individuals that make up a community, but for the community, as a whole.

Recently there has been a lot of debate about the importance of college education. Students are asking if it’s worth the debt to attend a four year university or community college. Some are thinking what are the benefits of a degree is in the workforce. With college tuition increasing and state fundings lowering, low income students are struggling to attain a higher education. College institutions should have a role to provide students higher education and equal opportunity to students to increase social mobility yet intergenerational reproduction of privilege has produced inequality in education.

Marty Nemko, in the article, “We Send Too Many Students To College,” acknowledges that colleges have become obscenely expensive and that it is possible to be successful without going to college. Arguing that too many students are sent to college without realizing that it is not imperative, Nemko targets parents in his claims that colleges focus on educating in the cheapest way possible and most importantly, that the advantage of past college graduates in the job market is declining. One of his main reasons is that even though the average college graduate makes more money, hundreds of thousands of students in the bottom half of their high school class do not succeed in higher education. Nemko’s article is the most persuasive article on whether college education still has value as he argues that college is not beneficial to everyone through demonstrations of hyperbole, and figurative language.

First, free college may not benefit those most in need. As Matt Bruenig, a writer who researches poverty and welfare systems, in his article “The Case Against Free College” argued, “The main problem with free college is that most students come from disproportionately well-off background and already enjoy disproportionately well-off futures, which makes them relatively uncoupling targets for public transfers…At public colleges, students from the poorest fourth of the population currently pay net tuition at either two-year or four-year institutions….Richer students currently receive much fewer tuition and living grant benefits”(113). Free college should benefit poorer students, but actually could end up helping wealthy students more. Low income

As a recent analysis, America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall” (Eskow). Though education is the basic human right, most of the people in the U.S. are not being able to gain it as because of its rising cost. Since the 1970s, tuition and fees at public institutions have increased by more than 350 percent, while pay for working- and middle-class households has stagnated. As a result, the cost of a public-college education now accounts for almost 15 percent of the average family's annual income; 40 years ago it was about 4 percent (Kenneth W. Warren and Samir Sonti). The tuition and fees are increasing in such a way that the young Americans aren’t as educated as the young citizens of many other developed countries. The U.S. ranks 14th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year-olds with higher education (42%).” When all adults of working age are considered, the US is still one of the highest-educated countries in the world. But when this age group is considered, we are falling behind (Richard Eskow). That’s the personal loss for the young people of the U.S. Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is the inalienable right of every people. It is a powerful tool by which people can lift

College graduates can pull in higher paying employers, therefore the states can benefit by earning money off of these employers. Some children’s families cannot manage to help pay for the fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, and personal/transportation expenses, even with the pell grants and other scholarships being offered to them. Sixty percent of college students stress about not having enough money to pay for school, the other percentage are worried about not having enough to pay their monthly expenses on top of school (“College”). This in return may put a burden on society from becoming booming with well advanced and bold civilians due to the lack of interaction with college level wisdom. Student’s should all have a chance at further promoting their lives to flourish at what they believe they want to become, without having to deal with the later emotional struggles of money. Although graduates may pull in higher paying employers, the

In the article titled “Should Community College be Free?” written by Joanne Jacobs, the author talks up the argument about whether Community College should be free and presents both sides being that Community College should in fact be free for the many students who cannot afford it which will increase, “the number of people with degrees”, according to past President Barack Obama. The other side argues that making Community College free will only help those whose parents make too much to afford Grants stating that those who can afford it will be taking advantage of the free cost and making the schools overcrowded.

With the shockingly high number of student debt in America, it is no wonder why people constantly look for alternatives to make education cheaper.Certainly, higher education is in need of reformation. However, it should not come at the expense of dollars from people who pay taxes. In theory, free college sounds fantastic, but it must be understood that this luxury is not free. The money would come from people who pay taxes, which is evidently twisted as a majority of people do not value higher education. They should not be forced to pay for something that is optional in one’s life. People will be paying for free college for the rest of their lives in taxes. Moreover, free college removes the incentive of valuing education in high school. There

Dreams are not cheap. I have dreamed of having a college degree for twenty years, one of the hurdles that I struggled with overcoming was the shear rising cost of higher education. In the articles, The Problem with Obama’s “Free Community College” Proposal and Obama’s Dream of Free Community College is Headed to Congress, high dropout rates and low percentages of students earning a bachelor’s degree are touched upon. While reducing the cost of college or providing free community college may not be enough to raise the dropout rate, we need to look at the other non-quantifiable costs of getting an education. If we want to enable American’s to earn that dream, we need to address the whole needs of the student and not just throw money at them.

In this essay, I argue that community college tuition should be free or significantly less than it already is. The reasons why I support this argument is due to the strong points of the supporting premises for this argument. While the con side of the argument leans heavily on just one supporting thesis – essentially repeating that people should deserve and pay for a two year college as the same they do for a four year college –, the pro side supports in three different ways of why this is beneficial to America. It explains how this will provide the middle class of America a gateway to a better future that they wouldn't have before, how the investment into the America's College Promise plan is small with the payout being immeasurable, and to those who prove that they deserve this kind of benefit. The pro heavily outweighs the con in supporting premises.

During this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated his commitment to make two years of community college free for all Americans who are willing to work hard toward graduation. His vision was inspired by other programs in states like Tennessee and Chicago. His vision is being called “The American College Promise,” and would allow students to complete a certificate, an associate’s degree, or the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at no cost. That being said, a leader in Washington feel financial hardship also contributes to the dropout rates in colleges across the country.

One of the most highly debated proposals from President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address is a new government program that would cover the cost of community college. The “American College Promise” would provide free tuition to students who enroll in a community college for at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA), make steady progress towards completing an associate’s degree and cannot have an adjusted gross income of above two hundred thousand dollars. Obama has stated that the new proposal will benefit roughly nine million students each year by earning them an associate’s degree at no cost. Although the new proposal can be seen as a panacea for all incoming college students, the opposition is true due to the fact that community college is affordable, exclusive, and will hurt the economy by causing the current United States debt to increase.

A high school diploma is a prerequisite for many entry- level jobs. There are numerous public schools in New York City that offer twelve years of education free to students from all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. After one has graduated from public school, he or she may want to continue his or her education and go on to college. A college degree opens the door to more job prospects than would a high school degree. The federal and state governments offer students money based on students’ financial need, but the cost of college does not just stop at the cost of tuition. Students have to pay for room and board, transportation, textbooks and a multitude of other essentials to cover their everyday needs. All of these costs add up and can discourage many students from going to college or force students

College plays an immensely essential part in social reproduction. Most social reproduction theorists and working class citizens this day in age would agree that "A well-educated workforce is vital to our nation 's future economic growth and competitiveness” (Treasury, Education dept.). College also serves as one of the main tools used in reaching milestones throughout one’s life. Many experiences are made as well as relationships and colleagues. Though institutions are making it much harder for those earning wages under the median income line to acquire an education that will provide them careers that will open doors and present new opportunities in their future, it is nevertheless the most sure-shot pathway to success. Providing education to those who really cannot afford it will give them jobs, so their children and future generations under them will never have to worry about paying for college, giving more of motivation for those students to continue reaching their goals.