Obama's New Initiative for Community Colleges

Sifting through the week's editorials, I was hard-pressed to find a write-up unrelated to the Obama Administration health care issue.  While health care reform is undeniably an important and pressing matter, it is nevertheless a very contentious one at the moment between conservatives and liberals alike.  Which is why I was so relieved to read this Op-Ed by David Brooks in the Dallas Morning News.  I appreciate Brooks’ positive outlook on the Obama Administration: the president recently announced a $12 billion plan to produce 5 million more community college grads by 2020 (community colleges like ACC).  The author explains that while community college enrollment has been increasing at a rate three times as fast as traditional 4-year colleges, the growth in students has not been matched by a growth in funding.  And as a result, the high number of community college dropouts has seen no break—until now. 

As of last week, President Obama has promised community colleges a significant amount of money.  What makes this plan so exciting, though, is that according to Brooks, “the Obama initiative… doesn't throw money at the problem. It ties money to reform and has the potential – the potential – to spur a wave of innovation.”   And Brooks’ logic stands.  Instead of each school receiving funds intended specifically for things like building maintenance or student aid, the Obama initiative is meant to go deeper, to really cure the biggest problems that plague community colleges—dropouts.  “[The initiative] has specific provisions for remedial education, outcome tracking and online education…. [S]uccessful reform has to blow up the standard model.” Evidently Brooks and Obama understand that students at community colleges are much less of a homogenized population than students at a 4-year university.  They have all have different learning styles, interests, goals, and abilities, and as a result often require more diverse approaches to education. 

According to this editorial, David Brooks is a New York Times columnist.  While the NY Times oftentimes takes liberal stances when it comes to politics and government, I think this piece is something most Americans—conservative or liberal, upper, middle, or lower class—can get behind.  Brooks writes in a way that appeals to many different readers—particularly anyone who has ever visited, attended, will attend, or who has known someone who has/will attend college.  Which, in the United States, is almost everyone. His writing is easily understood and accessible—which makes his argument all the more appealing.  I agree with Brooks wholeheartedly that Obama’s new initiative for community colleges is a “smart idea”—especially considering I am currently attending a community college.  More college graduates can translate to better jobs, better education, and better lives.