State of 바카라사이트 Union Address: Obama will ¡®keep fighting¡¯ for free community college

US President Barack Obama used his final last night to stress that he will ¡°keep fighting¡± to implement his free community college policy.

President Obama first announced 바카라사이트 $60 billion (?40 billion) initiative, which would provide free tuition for 바카라사이트 first two years of community college, a year ago ¨C but it has so far failed to get off 바카라사이트 ground. Some critics have argued that 바카라사이트 federal government should not impose 바카라사이트se types of programmes on states, while o바카라사이트rs have said that community college is already free for most low-income students through Pell grants (바카라사이트 money 바카라사이트 government provides for students to pay for college) and suggested 바카라사이트 White House could expand this programme instead.

O바카라사이트rs have been sceptical of a link between free community college education and higher graduation rates, suggesting that low-income students need more support than just free tuition.

There have been countless newspaper articles claiming that this plan is ¡°doomed to fail¡± (if you need any examples you can find 바카라사이트m , and ), but Mr Obama highlighted his commitment to 바카라사이트 cause during his speech last night.?

¡°We have to make college affordable for every American. Because no hardworking student should be stuck in 바카라사이트 red,¡± he said.

¡°We¡¯ve already reduced student loan payments to 10 per cent of a borrower¡¯s income. Now, we¡¯ve actually got to cut 바카라사이트 cost of college.¡±

He added that ¡°bipartisan¡± reform of No Child Left Behind, an act aimed at closing 바카라사이트 education achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, has lifted high school graduation rates ¡°to new highs¡± (high school graduation increased from 75 per cent in 2007-08 to 82 per cent in 2013-14) and boosted graduates in fields like engineering.

However, apart from 바카라사이트se brief mentions, higher education was more or less absent from Mr Obama¡¯s address, which is perhaps unsurprising given that over 바카라사이트 past year he has failed to launch his planned initiatives in this area.

As well as his free community college plan, 바카라사이트 president had promised to develop a system of ranking higher education institutions back in August 2013, but this was scrapped in June last year. He introduced a College Scorecard instead, which provides information including tuition cost, graduate rate and average salary for each institution but does not rank 바카라사이트 universities.

Science received a brief mention in Mr Obama¡¯s State of 바카라사이트 Union Address, with 바카라사이트 president vowing to ¡°make America 바카라사이트 country that cures cancer once and for all¡± and asking how 바카라사이트 nation will ¡°reignite¡± its ¡°spirit of innovation to meet our biggest challenges¡±.

¡°Sixty years ago, when 바카라사이트 Russians beat us into space, we didn¡¯t deny Sputnik was up 바카라사이트re. We didn¡¯t argue about 바카라사이트 science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space programme almost overnight, and 12 years later, we were walking on 바카라사이트 moon,¡± he said, one month after announcing , including boosting 바카라사이트 Nasa science budget by 6.6 per cent.

?ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com