1st White House Summit on Community Colleges: Increasing Competitiveness

In line with his aim to improve the U.S. educational system and increase its competitiveness in the global arena, President Barack Obama announced last Tuesday that he expects to see community colleges producing 5 million more graduates by year 2020. This is in line with his belief that schools are equally important in maintaining the future competitiveness of America especially in the field of economics and finance. Pres. Obama, while at the East Room during a White House summit on community colleges, said that his purpose is to boost the schools that provide millions of students with skills training and knowledge.

With today’s academic institutions facing high dropout rates, Obama is devising ways to improve the education system. The president tagged community colleges as “unsung heroes of America's education system”. Though they may not be as attractive as other universities and though they may not receive more funds just like the others, these colleges are in fact the gateway for millions of Americans unto getting jobs and earning a source of living. He also used the event to accuse congressional Republicans of planning to cut education spending which will deprive community colleges of the needed resources to provide quality education millions of Americans.

Vice President Joe Biden, who used to taught the English subject at community colleges for 17 out of the his 30 years as an educator, said the following words “Community colleges are entering a new day in America” and “For more and more people, community colleges are the way to the future. They're giving real opportunity to students who otherwise wouldn't have it. They're giving hope to families who thought the American dream was slipping away”.

A day before the event, Pres. Obama announced his new initiative for the education sector which aims to create a public-private partnership that will link the top business corporations of America to community colleges. It will devise a curriculum which will directly fit to the needed skill sets of these companies. Through this, students will have an easier time in searching for jobs in the future. Corporations such as Gap Inc., McDonald's and Accenture have already expressed their support for such initiative. It is also remembered previously Obama’s prosopal to increase the academic calendar. He sees this as a major barrier in increasing competitiveness of students. By adding another 1 month in the academic calendar, American students will be able to remain competitive with the rest of the world.

The event was highlighted by various commitments from private institutions. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation owned by the world’s richest couple, Bill and Melinda Gates, announced the launching of the Completion by Design. It is a $35 million, five-year competitive grant program to boost community college graduation rates. Obama’s initiative to increase competitiveness in the education sector is also part of the president’s plan to save the economy. He sees the students as future leaders and holders of the economy. The president now has to put the pieces together in order to come up with one comprehensive educational system where every student is eligible to cheap yet quality education.

Obama’s announces His New Initiative towards for Education Sector

It is a given fact that America and its citizens are experiencing tougher times especially that the economy hasn’t really fully recovered yet from the devastation brought by the recent economic recession. Unemployment levels all throughout the country are still high with many layoffs still occurring each day. People are beginning to feel impatient and angry with the way the Obama administration and the Democratically-controlled house and senate has been handling the situation. And for that, Republicans have been clinging on to that anger that they think is key for them to regain control of the house and senate.

One of proposals of Republicans in order to reduce the budget deficit is to implement budget cuts in various government departments such us in the educational sector. While republicans and dissatisfied citizens are strongly opposing further spending, Obama and his team are thinking otherwise. He argues that for the economy to grow, it should first boost consumer spending in order to increase demands for goods and services resulting in more jobs more people. And while Obama said he agrees with the GOP that America's fiscal situation is "untenable “, he also sees the plans as a way to force a 20 percent cut in education funding which not acceptable.

As a solution, Pres. Obama recently announced his new initiative called “Skills for America's Future” which aims to create and provide strong partnerships between various community colleges and America’s top business companies. The partnership will enable students to focus on various skill sets which will fit the needs of the industry. Obama also said the partnership plan aims to improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nationwide network to maximize workforce development and capabilities.

In a White House fact sheet, Pres. Obama said the following words, “We want to make it easier to join students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire”. He also added “We want to put community colleges and employers together to create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardroom”. According to a White House official, the initiative has already received support and backing from various top American corporation such as Gap Inc., McDonald's, Accenture and more.

Obama’s focus on education has been very evident lately especially when he proposed the plan to increase the academic calendar. He argued that American students are lagging behind various countries by 1 month. He plans to add another month to the academic calendar as a way to cope up with recent standards and increase the American competitiveness especially in the field of finance and economy.