subject: Education Is Top Priority: Obama Scholarships [print this page] If you want to be successful, getting a good education is a good start. Even before he became President, Barack Obama spoke about the need to make education a priority. Grants and scholarships are just the beginning of efforts to try to make over higher education.
One familiar part of the economic meltdown is the rise in college tuition and other costs. Besides tuition and housing, fees for books, travel and eating are often not covered. Unfortunately some students turn away from higher education because it's too expensive. Single, working moms are a big section of this group. More education helps single mothers achieve on their jobs and take care of their families. The President has attempted to help by encouraging more grants for single mothers to attend school. Although they are the same, many people refer to Federal Pell grants as Obama grants. These grants award a student over $5,000 to go to college. For mothers and other students, this is increase of available money is valuable help. These grants can be used to cover many of the miscellaneous college expenses.
Another worthwhile program is the American Opportunity Tax Credit. This program allows the first $4,000 of education expenses to be free. This is a worthy incentive, especially for schools that are less expensive. Since many single working mothers have low incomes, these programs are a major help. Study options are wide open. Taking away a little of the financial burden of college is a helpful way to get more students enrolled.
Increasing educational opportunity and performance is undoubtedly one of the President's goals. Through the recent stimulus package, many undergraduate and graduate loans will be less of a burden. Preparing schools and students for success is an important Obama administration mission. The President believes community colleges need to become viable options. To attend a 2-year college has a number of benefits, including saving money and learning a trade or skill.
In a 2007 speech called Reclaiming the American Dream, the President said that making college education more available is "the best investment we can make in our future." So far Obama's actions are backing up his words. Grants for moms are just a small but vital part of the education mission. Traditional and non-traditional students alike have numerous opportunities to put their education first.
