The State of the Aspirational Union

If there is one thing I can say with confidence about the U.S., it is that we put a high value on opportunity. When President Obama spoke about education in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he was all about aspiration and opportunity.

The programs and policies he outlined, which ran the gamut from kindergarten through college, all had the same goal: making education more effective and more accessible to low-income families. According to my count, President Obama identified eight different proposals that would make college more affordable and accessible – turning aspiration into action.

The first was putting pressure on colleges to hold down their tuition costs or risk decreased federal funding. That, of course, will also transfer some of the burden to the states to increase their financial support. But there was nothing said about college fees, which are in addition to tuition and make up a large portion of college costs. We should make sure they are reviewed and reduced along with tuition.

A proposal to prevent students from dropping out of school before they graduate or turn 18 makes some sense, but should be looked at more carefully. If we don’t improve the aspirations of our students then keeping them in school will frustrate everyone and accomplish little. So, we must make high-performing schools and teachers the norm rather than the exception. More students would then graduate with the desire and ability to do college-level work.

Proposals to stop the doubling of the student loan interest rate, scheduled for July, extend the tuition tax credit, and double the number of work-study jobs, are all great. Increasing partnerships between community colleges and local businesses is also a good suggestion. I would also like to see more working relationships between community colleges and high schools, and coordinated oversight within the community college system to promote equity among the schools.

Finally, supporting the Dream Act, which would make going to college a path to citizenship, will help make college more accessible to many capable students. The alternative of making undocumented students self-deport to countries they may have never known would be cruel and unusual punishment.

There are now some truly turning point proposals out there. All said, we are in a good position to convert aspiration into greater college accessibility and affordability for all. Let’s not lose the opportunity to make it happen.