{"id":117997,"date":"2021-07-10T13:24:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-10T13:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=117997"},"modified":"2021-07-10T13:24:14","modified_gmt":"2021-07-10T13:24:14","slug":"does-free-college-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/does-free-college-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Free College Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The DealBook newsletter delves into a single topic or theme every weekend, providing reporting and analysis that offers a better understanding of an important issue in the news. If you don\u2019t already receive the daily newsletter, <\/em>sign up here<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

President Biden\u2019s plan to make community colleges free for all students comes at a critical time: The pandemic led to a steep decline in college enrollment, particularly for low-income and minority students. And businesses have struggled to fill vacancies, as the economy adds jobs at a rapid rate.<\/p>\n

Proponents of the proposal, which would cost $109 billion over 10 years and is part of Mr. Biden\u2019s American Families Plan, argue that community colleges can help solve both of these problems while also boosting local economies. In addition to paying for tuition, the plan would allocate resources for community colleges to build programs that addressed skills shortages. And a number of economic studies have suggested that increasing the percentage of college graduates benefits everyone, not just the students who received grants to go to college.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a spillover effect,\u201d said Timothy Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, who has studied programs that subsidize education and job skills. \u201cThe fact that your neighbor\u2019s kids get an education makes the local economy more productive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, most Americans have doubts about the effectiveness of community colleges, with only 12 percent believing community college degrees prepare people \u201cvery well\u201d for the work force, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. Mr. Biden\u2019s plan, which if passed would be funded through tax increases on the wealthy, faces resistance from Republican politicians who say community colleges consistently underperform, with only about a third of students graduating.<\/p>\n

The debate is muddled by insufficient data. Few detailed studies have looked at how community colleges affect students\u2019 earnings in the long term, and while 15 states have programs that offer tuition-free community college to anyone, regardless of high school grades or income, most of these programs are too new to have shown meaningful results.<\/p>\n

One exception is Tennessee, a Republican-run state, whose statewide program was inspired by a county-level program started in 2008. Looking closely at Tennessee\u2019s program, which goes further in offering tuition-free community college than programs in almost any other state, suggests both what free community college can accomplish \u2014 and some factors that may be important for doing so.<\/p>\n

Bringing a Better Work Force to Knoxville<\/h2>\n

In 2008, small businesses in Knox County, in eastern Tennessee, could not find enough skilled workers \u2014 particularly nurses, computer technicians, welders and pipe fitters. In response, the county started a program, funded by local businesses and leaders, that offered tuition-free community college to all high school graduates. The program\u2019s founders framed it as a way to create a sustainable work force.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we believe that all students have the potential to earn a college credential, but it was about bringing a world-class work force to Knoxville and Knox County so that we could attract business and industry to the area,\u201d said Krissy DeAlejandro, an executive director and one of the founders of the program.<\/p>\n

More than a decade later, the results are encouraging.<\/p>\n

Participants who graduated from high school in 2009, 2010 and 2011 were earning, on average, 13 percent more seven years after graduation than their classmates who did not participate in the program, according to research by the University of Tennessee. \u201cThe fact that they found any increases in terms of earnings is meaningful,\u201d said Michelle Miller-Adams, a senior researcher at the Upjohn Institute and an expert on the tuition-free college movement.<\/p>\n

In the three years after it started, the program raised college enrollment among Knox County high school graduates by about 3 percentage points, on average, from the average of the previous two years.<\/p>\n

In 2014, Tennessee started a statewide program offering tuition-free community college or technical school. (The program is funded by the state, and private donors fund a nonprofit organization offering student-success initiatives, including mentorship.) In the years since, a significantly higher percentage of high school graduates have enrolled in college within a year, and more have earned degrees or work force certificates, according to the Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis focused on the accessibility of higher education.<\/p>\n

What Tennessee Got Right<\/h2>\n

Celeste Carruthers, a professor at the University of Tennessee\u2019s Haslam College of Business who has extensively researched the state\u2019s tuition-free programs, said Tennessee had done several things right. The first was keeping the program simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crystal-clear message that college is free if you follow these steps and go to these places cuts through a lot of the clutter and opaqueness,\u201d Dr. Carruthers said. Need-based and merit-based programs in other states, she said, had less success attracting low-income students, some of whom have struggled to navigate the complicated college financial aid process.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of Tennessee\u2019s success was its focus on mentorship for students. One point that conversations about low graduation rates often overlook is that community colleges take all students, regardless of grades and test scores, said Juan Salgado, the chancellor of Chicago\u2019s community college system. Many are first-generation college students, and some are struggling with homelessness, hunger or other family problems.<\/p>\n

Latest Updates<\/h2>\n

That may mean students need more help meeting deadlines, completing coursework and finding jobs. <\/strong>Studies of a program that City University of New York developed to provide mentorship and other support services for students showed impressive increases in graduation rates for low-income students when three community colleges in Ohio replicated it, but results were less encouraging in Detroit.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence shows that with the right support, financial included, our students can do extremely well despite their circumstances,\u201d Mr. Salgado said.<\/p>\n

He said mentorship and apprenticeship programs, like ones that Chicago community colleges have with Aon, one of the world\u2019s largest insurance brokerages, enabled students to begin building a professional network for guidance on interviews, career goals and even office attire. A first-generation college student himself, Mr. Salgado said he remembered not having anyone to go to for advice about what to wear to work. He said he had felt humiliated on his first day on the job when he realized his outfit stood out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurt me, from a self-esteem standpoint,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have exposure to a network of professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. DeAlejandro, too, <\/strong>knew from her own experience as a first-generation college student that free tuition alone was not enough for programs to succeed. The Knox Country program recruited volunteer mentors from local businesses to help students through their senior year of high school and the first semester of college.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the magic of what we do,\u201d Ms. DeAlejandro said. \u201cAll the different pieces make a student feel seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johari Hamilton, who graduated last month from Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis in the top of her class, said the tutoring, mental health counseling and encouragement had helped her stay focused and engaged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was absolutely necessary for me to achieve that level of success,\u201d said Ms. Hamilton, 48, a single parent who raised three children and went back to school after struggling to find a job. In the fall, she plans to transfer to Middle Tennessee State University to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in public relations.<\/p>\n

Lessons for the Biden Plan<\/h2>\n

Carmel Martin, an adviser to Mr. Biden who helped design the national proposal, said Tennessee\u2019s program was among those that White House officials studied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome good studies show positive outcomes from Tennessee,\u201d Ms. Martin said. \u201cThere\u2019s various components that were very smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like the Tennessee program, the Biden plan includes a mentorship program, opportunities for people who want work force credentials but not a four-year degree, and investment in programs tailored to the skills that local employers need. For example, if aviation engineering skills are in high demand, funds could go for equipment or labs to offer certificates in that space.<\/p>\n

But while increasing access to community college is appealing to lawmakers in both parties, there are disagreements on how to go about it. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, said the federal government should not funnel billions of dollars of taxpayer money into schools without a track record.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery dollar you give to a university ought to have a string attached to it,\u201d he said, adding that too many schools are educating students in areas where no jobs are available.<\/p>\n

There is a political risk that some of the aspects that made the Tennessee program a success may not get congressional approval \u2014 and that\u2019s if the community college provision of the plan is approved at all.<\/p>\n

Dr. Miller-Adams, author of \u201cThe Path to Free College: In Pursuit of Access, Equity, and Prosperity,\u201d said the lack of research was all the more remarkable given the huge numbers of students enrolled in community colleges. An analysis by Columbia University\u2019s Teachers College showed that 44 percent of undergraduates, mostly from low-income families and minority groups, attended public two-year colleges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are huge amounts of money being committed without really strong evidence,\u201d Dr. Miller-Adams said.<\/p>\n

Bruce Sacerdote, an economics professor at Dartmouth College, said that while the Biden program would undoubtedly raise the number of college graduates, more needed to be done to combat wealth inequality. \u201cThis thing is not a silver bullet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Would free community college boost the economy? Is there a better way to promote education or build skills? Let us know: dealbook@nytimes.com.<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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