Obama's "Free Education" proposal: A Community-College Plan Doomed to Fail

National Review ^ | 01/13/2015 | The Editors

[Rich21IE]

What they’ll be teaching is the perils of “White Privilege” and Rap harmony.

[SMARTY]

Right, throwing MORE tax payer money at kids who WILL NOT apply themselves, EVER!

[publius911]

Obama’s dysfunctional logic never ends and I bet he thinks people will name bridges after him when he’s out of office.

I would support building hundreds of such bridges.
So long as they are one way viaducts to some African Country.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You condemned university in general... so don’t evade.

[JoeFromSidney]

I spent a 6-year term as Trustee of a community college (a political appointment, but no salary). The college is in a rural area. The vast majority of our students were the first ones in their family ever to go to college. Although Ohio requires that community college credits be transferable to state 4-year colleges, most of our students were instead getting a certificate in some trade. Something like 90% of the nurses in our tri-county area got their certificates at our college. Most of our students were getting certificates in technical trades, such as electronics, although some were intending to go to a 4-year college, and were taking advantage of lower tuition and living at home for their first 2 years.

The community college system is working. I don't want to see Obama mess it up. If anyone thinks it's expensive now, wait until it's free.

[Lorianne]

It’s a brilliant idea! Here is the curriculum for the first semester:

Yo, white people, it’s all your fault 101.
Christianity: The most destructive force in the world. 101
Why you need gender reassignmenet surgery 101
You didn’t build that 101
It’s not your money anyway 101.
How to pass bills so we can find out what’s in it. 101

[poinq]

You condemned university in general... so don’t evade.

OK, after rereading my original post and the subject of this thread I think Community colleges are the topic. But since I did mention colleges in general in my last paragraph, I will answer your retort with reference to universities.

You ask if I would go to a doctor or send my dog to a vet without a medical degree. I would not. I also would not go to a doctor with a community college degree. And I would not go to a doctor with just a B.S. degree or even a PHD. An M.D. generally comes from a program with many years of hands on apprenticeship. Doctors work long hours in teaching hospitals where they learn to be doctors from doctors.

Colleges such as Johns Hopkins have given up on undergraduate degrees of “pre-med”. They now teach Biomedical Engineering. Most of these classes are on Khan Academy, or in MIT’s free online courses. Calc 1 has not changed as the reprints of calculus text books would suggest. Current professors add nothing new, that could not be BETTER taught by a well presented video freely available on Youtube.com.

A college diploma is a verification of passing the admissions test. And sticking with a program for four years. And reasonable exposure to course work. Its not at all saying that you are more ready for a job than someone who apprenticed for four years.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Please feel free to demonstrate these hypothetical apprenticeships. You steer right into the trap you claim to avoid.

As for me, I vote for the engineers and doctors who went to school.

[poinq]

Allow me to point out that my children are taking a class called “Philosophy of Laughter”. Why, for no greater reason than they can’t get into the course they want and need. I am putting 5 of my own kids through top schools at $240,000 a crack.

There is no real reason for most of college. Most classes can be taught better online. And some colleges are actually sending kids to online courses for their core, while still charging $60K a semester.

As I said, colleges test for IQ (ACT/SAT) and hard work efforts in their admissions. So, by adding four years, you get maturity as well. What the college adds is 7/8s online free courses. And 1/8 actual experience in some majors. In other majors you don’t even get that.

So, why is Obama offering free community college when its already free online? Its because he believes that college actually adds value that the 75% of America, that does not graduate from college, needs. But what he does not understand, is that colleges have already picked the cream kids, and given them a degree. The others will not do well by spending four years in college. If they would, then they could go to their local library and take free courses online. But they can’t and/or won’t.

Oh, and it is not lost on Obama that there is a giant money transfer to local government teacher unions as well.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Hey wise fellow, why not tell them no more of this silliness then. I can see you are kind of bitter over it.

[HiTech RedNeck]

On the other hand it is an ill wind that blows no good at all. Maybe they will crack the formula for writing the best comedy known to mankind. (Just kidding. Why does laughter have to be just for the expensive college set.)

I’m an engineer by schooling and experience. My brief contacts with humanities were perfunctory according to the school’s requirements, and tended to be about things like political science and geology.

My sympathies. Try not to get bitter, but if they are your kids you have the right to expect some common sense.

[Vaduz]

Amen