“Dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country and this country needs and values the talents of every American.” President Obama said this during his address to congress in the State of the Nation on February 24th. During the address, he established his agenda for the coming years. One of the most important issues was Education. He spoke in depth about the challenges and solutions being made to encourage and increase education in the United States and its critical impact on the Nation's economic future.
President Obama said that in the global economy of today, education is not an option but a prerequisite. There are alarming high school drop out rates and school budget cuts on the local and state level. This has created a drop in rankings internationally in math and science. President Obama believes that the country needs to expand its promise of education for every child. With his policies he wants to "Ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education from the day they are born to the day they begin their career."
One of the policies helping to do so is called the "Serve America Act" This will increase national and community service opportunities for Americans. President Obama spoke of how the price of tuition is rising and with the state of the economy it is becoming harder and harder to make ends meet. According to CNN.com "The cost of attending college has risen nearly three times the rate of the cost of living, according to a December 2008 report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education."
The "Serve America Act" it encourages the youth and citizens to be involved in volunteering for their communities. Those who are willing to volunteer in their neighborhoods, or serve the country, will be able to afford higher education. He also stated that they will work hard to provide the support that all young Americans need to complete a college education. He stated that this year they will make college more affordable to 7 million more students.
Obama created a goal that by 2020 the United States will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. But the emphasis to learn and embrace education should not just be in a school environment, it needs to start in the home. Parents need to encourage reading, educational games, and homework in order to help their children do well in school and have the strive to continue on.
I believe that Obama's policies will help to expand both younger and higher education, which will in turn help the economic future of this country. Parents, children, young adults, and adults who do not have higher education must take the incentive to get involved and become educated. School is hard work, but the hard work does pay off. This will lead to a career that can support a family and loved ones who then will have the opportunity to gain a great education and a wealth of knowledge. I believe it will work, I just hope it works better than "No child left behind..."
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