Obama proposes broad changes for higher education

The reforms hope to increase the number of college graduates in the U.S.

By Will Guldin

Published Feb. 27, 2009

In his first address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama spoke about the health of the economy, and made new promises for higher education in America.

During his address, the president said that through increased investments in higher education, the U.S. would have the highest proportion of college graduates of any country in the world by 2010.

"Dropping out of high school is no longer an option," Obama said. He also called on Americans to complete at least one year of higher education or vocational training.

Obama unveiled his $3.6 trillion budget plan for the 2010 fiscal year Thursday, which includes at $5.3 billion increase in spending to the U.S. Department of Education, a 12.6 percent increase that brings the total appropriation to $46.7 billion in 2010 fiscal year.

Center on Education Policy President Jack Jennings said the U.S. could lead the world in the proportion of college graduates, but whether this could be accomplished would depend on how committed individuals were.

Jennings said Obama's goal would be a worthwhile aim for several reasons.

"Its a good goal socially because education leads to more citizens being engaged in the community," Jennings said. "It's good economically too because better educated people are better able to secure higher level jobs."

Obama also said the U.S. educational system is not performing as well as it should be.

"Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma," Obama said during the address. "And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow."

Otto Fajen, Missouri National Education Association Legislative Director, said if the U.S. made progress in this area the county would be able to compete better in the world market in the future, and would prosper economically.

Fajen said if the U.S. did not act, then it would be forced to depend on other nations for advanced goods.

"The big picture in the 21st century is a lot of what drives the real economic growth is based on advanced work, research, and information technology," Fajen said. "So you need really educated people to pull that off."

The budget includes many provisions to help cover rising education costs. In the budget there are plans to increase Pell Grant funding, as well as offer up to a $2,500 tax credit for tuition and books for students. The president's budget also aims to simplify the filing process for Federal Application for Free Student Aid and to make student loans a more secure resource.

In a news release, Laura Asher, Institute for College Access and Success president, said the president's budget was a new approach to student aid that would help make college affordable for millions of families.

Jennings said the budget was a positive sign of Obama's commitment to higher education.

"He's backing up his rhetoric with solid budget proposals," Jennings said.