Bush proposes community college initiative and Pell Grant program expansion
In his State of the Union address, President Bush proposed a community college and job-training initiative and outlined plans to increase access to postsecondary education. Bush outlined a plan to increase federal support for community colleges to provide job training, expand Pell Grants for low-income high school students who complete rigorous coursework and increase funding for advanced placement courses.
In his message to the nation delivered January 20, President Bush proposed increasing federal support by $250 million in 2005 for community colleges to provide job training. Hear community college reaction from NPR.
The president also called for a $33 million increase in Pell grants for secondary-school students who take rigorous college-preparatory courses. The maximum Pell award for a low-income student attending college is $4,050.
To support state and local efforts to increase access to advanced placement classes and tests for low-income students, the President proposed a $28 million increase for the Advanced Placement (AP) program. The Bush administration says the increase will ensure that teachers in low-income schools are trained to teach AP and International Baccalaureate courses.
The White House noted that high school graduates are not entering college with appropriate skills. The administration cited a recent National Center for Education Statistics report that found that 42 percent of entering freshmen at public two-year colleges and 20 percent of entering freshmen at four-year public institutions enrolled in at least one remedial course in 2000. The White House added that low-income students who participate in advanced placement programs, which give students the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school, are much more likely to enroll and be successful in college than their peers.
To learn more about the link between academic preparation and postsecondary success, read What We Know about Access and Success in Postsecondary Education: Informing Lumina Foundation’s Strategic Direction.
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