The phrase “free college” has dominated the national and local discourse on higher education in recent years. Right now, 15 states offer some kind of free-college program, while another 16 are considering it, according to The Education Trust, a national nonprofit that advocates for minority and low-income students.
The phrase “free college” has dominated the national and local discourse on higher education in recent years. Right now, 15 states offer some kind of free-college program, while another 16 are considering it, according to The Education Trust, a national nonprofit that advocates for minority and low-income students.
There are currently several bills making their way through Connecticut's state legislature aimed at expanding access to cost- or debt-free education at Connecticut's community colleges.
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Anthony Carnevale, Director, Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University
As director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, Anthony Carnevale has examined many free-college programs and proposals. So far, he doesn't like what he sees.
“Most of the proposals, including the national conversation in the Democratic party about free college, have become very unsophisticated, very fast,” Carnevale said. “The tragic flaw in free college is that it inevitably shifts the money toward families that need it the least.”
Federal and other financial aid is already available to lower-income students, so free college programs would largely be aiding more middle-income families that don't qualify for full or partial assistance.
The ability to attain a degree beyond a high school diploma is imperative in today's economy, in which some 60 percent of jobs require at least some post-secondary education, Carnevale said. But the way he sees it, legislative proposals for free college are like putting a Band-aid on a broken leg.
Carnevale thinks fixing the problem would require reforms to meld the K-12 public school system with two-year colleges — essentially creating a K-14 system — and placing more responsibility on high schools in offering job-training opportunities like internships.
