By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

The $100 billion given to the Department of Education by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is the most expensive piece of legislation since the G.I. Bill which provided college education for returning World War II veterans. The investment is intended to shore up state education efforts, while saving jobs and encouraging educational innovation with its main objective to provide a better future for the youth of this country and the future generations said Education Secretary Arne Duncan at a press conference this morning.

“It is a time of economic crisis, it is a time of educational crisis and I am convinced we need to educate our way to a better economy. The challenges are real, the challenges are profound,the stakes have never been higher but the opportunity is absolutely once in a lifetime,” said Duncan.

“With unprecedented resources we want to push unprecedented reform,” said Duncan, adding that “we have to get dramatically better if we were to retain our spot around the world as the education leader… By the year 2020, we want to have the highest percent of college graduates in the world.”

To reach this ambitious goal, investments will be made in nearly every level of education. $5 billion will be invested to early childhood education. $30 billion will be invested in higher education. “There are no good dropouts, no good jobs today for high school dropouts… condemning them to poverty and social failure,” Duncan said. $2.5 billion will be dedicated over five years to retain students in higher education, and “the goal is not to go to college, the goal is to graduate,” he said.

These students are “competing with students in India and China for jobs… We have to raise the bar,” said Duncan.

For Duncan,”we cannot go backwards”, the crisis should lead people “to think very differently, to invest differently… and show what the country is possible.”

By Michael Combier-Talk Radio News Service

Education Secretary Arne Duncan tells high school students that even if their parents lose their jobs or face a 30 or 40% pay-cut, their college education is secured and that the money will be available to them. (1:00)

 

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By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

President Barack Obama
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Today President Barack Obama announced a new effort to stimulate tomorrow’s economy by reviving higher education through expanding Pell Grants and removing barriers to success. The public face for his new initiative is to be Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden and Community College Professor.

Obama’s plan, detailed at opportunity.gov, would help the unemployed go back to school to build new skill sets, with the goal of helping them gain future employment through specialized technical training.

“The idea here is to fundamentally change our approach to unemployment in this country, so that it’s no longer just a time to look for a new job, but is also a time to prepare yourself for a better job,” Obama said. “Our unemployment system should be not just a safety net, but a stepping stone to a new future.”

Among the barriers to success that the President wants to break down are state programs in which a worker might lose temporary financial support if they were to enroll in an education program. Obama said that in some places a worker may be unemployed, but may not qualify for federal assistance to get an education because of the salary they had a year ago but no longer make. The President said that he is committed to working with states to change these laws.

The President said that knowledge is the most valuable skill that one can sell. He encouraged all Americans to aim for getting at least 1 year of higher education, whether it is a community college, a four year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship.

“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” Obama said optimistically.

This announcement came on the same day as the release of April’s unemployment statistics, which saw the loss of more than half a million jobs. The unemployment rate for April was 8.9 percent, up from 8.5 percent in March and 8.1 percent in February. April’s numbers have already surpassed both the White House’s and the Federal Reserve’s projections for all of 2009, which were 8.1 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

Acknowledging that unemployment is as its highest rate in 25 years, the President urged patience, reminding us that the economic problems didn’t happen overnight, and couldn’t be fixed immediately.

“We’re still in the midst of a recession that was years in the making and will be months or even years in the unmaking,” Obama said. He continued, “We should expect further job losses in the months to come.”

Obama said that the Economic Stimulus Package is yielding real results, manifest in higher consumer spending and home sales, and an increase in construction spending. He praised the Recovery Act, and said, “Because of this plan, cops are still on the beat and teachers are still in the classroom; shovels are breaking ground and cranes dot the sky; and new life has been breathed into private companies.”

Fixing the economy and reforming education are two goals Obama has set for his administration. He said that in the weeks to come he would start working towards more education initiatives.

Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) held a press conference today on “Making the American Dream More Affordable.” Reid said that Republicans are preventing progress on making higher education more affordable and improving social security and Medicaid. Dorgan said that the economy is “sick” and that the minority in the Senate keeps saying no to the necessary changes Democrats wants to make.

Treena Walker, an office cleaner and single mother, said that she struggles to provide for her children, unable to pay for all of the food, gas, and healthcare her family requires. Sadie Coleman, a senior member of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said that she struggles to pay for her medications and that she has seen friends cut pills in half to make medications last longer. Sheila Isong, a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, said that she has overwhelming student loan debt and hopes that the Democrats can make real changes to make high education more affordable.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), said that the Senate is mere votes away from passing legislation to ease economic woes, but that the minority is preventing progress