Edwards promises "college for everyone"

[JohnLocke]

The plan Edwards referred to can be read in full at http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070511-college-opportunity/.

Edwards promises "college for everyone"
By Jens Manuel Krogstad--Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Monday, November 5, 2007
---
CEDAR FALLS--Kyle Graves felt his knees shake as he stepped up to the microphone to ask Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards a question.

But the fifth-grader from Kingsley Elementary in Waterloo had some time to rehearse in his head while standing in line - it was the last question of the day at Sunday's 2008 Presidential Candidate Education Forum at the University of Northern Iowa.

He didn't miss a beat.

"My mom is a single parent. She's worried about how we're going to afford for me to go to college in eight years," Kyle said. "She wants to know what your plan is to keep college costs from increasing at the present rate."

The former senator from North Carolina said he would expand a program for first-year college students he and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, helped finance: If a student attends a community college or state university and agrees to work a certain number of hours, their tuition and books will be paid for.

"Kyle you tell your mother that when you get ready to go to college, if she's willing to let you work 10 hours a week, and you come to a great school like this one (UNI), then your tuition and books will be paid for," Edwards replied.

Kyle said he was excited to ask Edwards a question because the only other candidate he's seen - New York Sen. Hillary Clinton during her July 4 visit to Waterloo - didn't take questions.
(...)
Edwards proposed several financial incentives to help attract more students and teachers to the math and sciences, and more teachers to needy rural and urban schools.

He said all his education proposals would cost about $7 billion in the first year. They would be paid for, in large part, by increasing capital gains taxes from 15 to 28 percent on people making $250,000 or more per year. He said removing banks from the student loan system would be another funding source.

The Democrat is against merit-based pay because he considers the student test performance measures unfair. He called No Child Left Behind "cheap, standardized tests."

We've lived through No Child Left Behind ourselves," said Edwards, whose two youngest children attended public schools until this year. "It's amazing to see the impact No Child Left Behind does to the teachers. They literally spent half a year preparing for a test."

One of Edwards' more original ideas includes a national teacher university he calls a "West Point for teachers." Under the plan, top high school students would train at the school, and tuition would be waived for those who agree to teach in underserved areas or on subjects with a teacher shortage.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/11/05/news/metro/feb22e79e619976b8625738a0051f971.txt

[JDPriestly]

1. Edwards will invest in America.

That is what we need.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. Shit we don't even need to raise taxes, just stop financing the Iraq War for 7 weeks

[polichick]

3. What if the reason we don't get gov't help for college is because...

Congress knows that if everyone could go to college right out of high school, we wouldn't have an army?? The only kids I know who joined the armed forces recently did it because they couldn't afford college.

[Union Thug]

4. Universal Access to Higher Ed is Critical

Edwards is on the right track. He's swaying me to his camp, even though my heart belongs to the Kucinich campaign.

[MethuenProgressive]

5. Edwards promises Rainbows, Cookies, and Free Puppies for everyone!

"Kyle you tell your mother that when you get ready to go to college, if she's willing to let you work 10 hours a week, and you come to a great school like this one (UNI), then your tuition and books will be paid for," Edwards replied.

I wonder, after losing the nomination, will Edwards find this child in eight years and pay for his college tuition?
Pandering has a new Champion. :puke:

[Catchawave]

18. JE started a pilot program in NC in 2005

I think it could be used in other states as well.

Get over yourself :silly:

[Clark2008]

32. Two points, though.

The pilot program is at ONE school in North Carolina, which is hardly enough to test; and, two:
Work-study programs have been in existance for decades - there's nothing new in this idea.

[DangerDave921]

31. Economics

Here's my prediction. The more the government pays for college, the higher tuition will go. Look at tuition rates the last 10-20 years. They have far outpaced inflation. Why? A big reason is that we have so much government assistance with education that the colleges are not constrained from raising tuition. They know the parents aren't footing the bill.

The question to Edwards was how to keep tuition down. His response is that the government will pay for it, which will actually raise tuition.

I believe in safety nets and assistance to the needy, but I do not believe that the government should be in the business of providing everything to everyone. If so, why not have the government provide me with a house, a job, food, heating oil, a computer, a car, etc. Edwards seems ready to promise everything to everyone.

[FrenchieCat]

6. "He said removing banks from the student loan system would be another funding source."

How does that work? :shrug:

[JohnLocke]

7. Here

In addition to College for Everyone, Edwards proposed a series of initiatives to help students prepare and apply for college as part of his College Opportunity Agenda. Edwards would require all students to borrow directly from the Department of Education, which would eliminate bank subsidies on student loans and free up almost $6 billion a year to make college more affordable.

http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070511-college-opportunity/

[FrenchieCat]

9. Where's the Dept of Education going to get the additional money required?

how does that math work?(I look up at the link you gave, but it doesn't do the math to explain)

[Stop Cornyn]

23. ?

[1932]

25. Banks charge interest on their loans. Removing banks will put money in students' pockets

that would otherwise go to financing debt.

My god, you're an accountant.

You really don't get this?

[Yukari Yakumo]

8. Uh... Eddy?

Just how does that plan help at all? College is usually a 4-years long, and your plan only covers the first one of them. Plus, what kind of work will qualify for those 10 hours? How do you plan to keep track of that?

But here's the big, as in EPIC big, reason he does not know or understand the issue:

One of Edwards' more original ideas includes a national teacher university he calls a "West Point for teachers." Under the plan, top high school students would train at the school, and tuition would be waived for those who agree to teach in underserved areas or on subjects with a teacher shortage.

One huge problem with this idea, each state sets their own standards. Therefore, a national school like he proposes cannot possibly work. Furthermore, not every aspiring teacher is someone coming straight out of high school. This school of his would be a monumental flop.

[1932]

28. I guess national medical schools and law schools will never work either.

[AngryAmish]

10. What about the dim kids?

College is not going to help them.

[JohnLocke]

13. See Post #12.

Taking college prep work and being qualified to go to college are conditions; "The idea is many young persons who would not have gone to college will get a chance to go."

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/581/five-minutes-with-john-edwards

See Post #12.

[mitchum]

21. They can go to work as supporters of the corporatist who is our presumptive nominee

[2rth2pwr]

11. Does everyone include high school dropouts, kids kicked out, senior citizens

anyone wanting a career change, have a HS diploma but can't read and illegal immigrants?

[JohnLocke]

12. No.

The idea is based on the College for Everyone pilot program in Greene County, North Carolina:

This is an idea that I talked about in my own presidential campaign. The idea is that any young person who has taken college prep work, who is qualified to go to college, and has stayed out of trouble, and is willing to go to work ten hours a week be able to go their first year of college completely for free - tuition, books, etc., paid for. And what we've done to test the validity of this idea is found a place in eastern North Carolina, one the poorest counties in North Carolina, but the community is committed to doing something about their kids having a chance. And what we’ve done is, in Greene County, privately, we've raised the money for it to implement the program. In Greene County if you have taken all the prep courses, not gotten into trouble and commit to work ten hours a week, then your tuition and books will be paid for. The idea is many young persons who would not have gone to college will get a chance to go. (From an )

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/581/five-minutes-with-john-edwards

Greene County's College for Everyone Program

In the fall of 2005, John Edwards helped start a College for Everyone pilot program at Greene Central High School in Snow Hill, North Carolina. The program was launched by the Center for Promise and Opportunity Foundation, a North Carolina nonprofit organization. Located in rural, eastern North Carolina, Greene County's income and education attainment are lower than North Carolina averages. Its school system has an above-average percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged.

The College for Everyone program is based on a proposal that Edwards first talked about in his 2004 presidential campaign. It helps pay for the first year of tuition, fees and books for college students who agree to work part-time. Students must also complete coursework that prepares them for further education, stay out of trouble, and enroll in a participating public university or community college. The program works with College Summit and North Carolina's universities and community colleges. Last year the program announced that more than $300,000 in scholarship funding was available, and 72 students just completed their first year of college. More than 125 students from this year's graduating class are expected to attend college in the fall with the help of College for Everyone. The projected college-going rate for Greene Central seniors has increased from 54 percent before the program started to 74 percent today.

http://johnedwards.com/issues/education/college-for-everyone/

John Edwards talks about College for Everyone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz-2umD3yq4

[2rth2pwr]

14. Why is it called College For Everyone? nt

[JohnLocke]

15. Because it would allow every student who is qualified and wants to go to college to go to college.

http://johnedwards.com/issues/education/college-for-everyone/

[2rth2pwr]

16. How about "College For A Bunch Of People" nt

[1932]

27. Because nobody is excluded?

[2rth2pwr]

29. Wait, nobody's excluded? nt

[Dr. Strange]

34. Yes, some people are excluded.

Isn't this a fun dance?

[question everything]

17. And then what do you do?

Do you, or Edwards, have any ideas of how many college graduates, even the ones with advanced degrees are underemployed?

College degree used to be a good path for a middle class living but no longer.

To be an "associate" at Wal-Mart you do not need a college degree.

To "play the market" you do not need a college degree.

To work at a call center you do not need a college degree.

As a matter of fact, doing all the "right" things, going to college, working hard, will not save you from losing your job when your employer has to improve the quarterly cash flow statement.

Investing in America is not sending everyone to college; it is investing in our infrastructure so that we generate many projects that offer jobs at many levels, jobs that cannot be outsourced. Investing in rail, and in roads, and bridges. Pointing Americans to alternative modes of mobility, like light rail, to replace cars and short distance flights.

And then, once you have restored the middle class through decent paying jobs that can provide some security, then you can talk about college.

[harun]

19. More trained people makes more jobs, not just training

for workers but training for people to run their own businesses and create jobs.

[Catchawave]

20. It's called opportunity.

What happens when you don't have the opportunity is even worse.

[1932]

26. Knowledge is the best way to make labor more valuable, and EVERYONE benefits from more

productive and valuable labor.

[democratsin08]

22. here is a great idea

free everything for everybody.

[maxanne]

24. nice work Johnny

Dennis Kucinich has been saying this for a long time.

[eridani]

30. Taking a leaf from the Kucinich playbook

Dennis has been advocating free college tuition since 2003, to be paid for by a 10% cut in the defense budget. Edwards has a far more substantive campaign this time around, and I think that part of the credit goes to Kucinich. I mean really--what was it four years ago but "I'm cute, I'm Southern and I believe in one America." John is really on fire with issues that matter this time around.

[Czolgosz]

33. k & r

[mtnsnake]

35. What if you don't wan't the college money? Could you opt for a few $400 hairdos?

Calm down..just kidding.

[ihavenobias]

36. Edwards is like Thomas Jefferson?

Well, not really, although Edwards is probably the closest of the Big 3 candidates, especially after this.

Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia as a *free* university because of his belief that the family you're born into (and resultant financial resources) shouldn't determine your ability to obtain a quality education.

Jefferson also believed that we can't have a democracy without informed citizens, and he couldn't have been more right.

The sad thing is, we used to have free school (aka, tax subsidized) at the university level in this country as recently as the 1960's in some places, but Ronald Reagan put the final dagger in it as Governor of California.

Obviously not everyone has the skill set and or desire to obtain a college degree, but so what? For them we can have free trade/technical school, etc. This shouldn't be viewed as an expense, but rather than investment in the US economy. Besides, the best anti-poverty/anti-crime program is a *job* with solid pay and benefits.

theyoungturks.com

[Stop Cornyn]

38. No, but you can buy your candidate a few more polls so she can discover what her "core values" are

[Hieronymus]

37. California had free college education until Reagan ended it.