National Journal Forum: Encouraging Two-Year Degrees

The National Journal's education blog looks at a federal program to fund the development of open educational resources for workforce training—part of the White House's goal of ensuring that every American gets at least one year of postsecondary education—and asks readers for their reactions. Add your voice to the mix. 

From the blog: "The government is giving away $500 million to community colleges and other two-year degree institutions to develop "cutting-edge" shared courses and open educational resources, some of which will be available online for free. The grants will be part of a $2 billion program to be jointly administered by the departments of Education and Labor over the next four years.

The grants are geared toward workforce training. They are intended to increase the number of students who attain professional certificates and other industry-recognized credentials. They also emphasize the White House's goal of ensuring that every American gets at least one year of post-secondary education. Some of the grant money comes from the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act, a law specifically directed at workers who lose their jobs to international trade and need retraining to find new jobs.

How important are grants like these for community colleges and other two-year schools to innovate? (Shouldn't they be engaged in such development anyway?) What kinds of "cutting-edge" courses and learning materials would give the administration the biggest bang for its buck? Is $2 billion enough of an investment to ensure that all Americans see a classroom after high school? How can one year of post-secondary education help the recent high school graduate or laid-off plant employee?"

To join the conversation on the National Journal's education blog, click the link below.