subject: An Investment For Our Future: Obama Scholarships [print this page] Taking advantage of educational opportunities is a smart way to be successful. Even before he became President, Barack Obama spoke about the need to make education a priority. Many important people are focused on increasing scholarship opportunities and improving education.
One familiar part of the economic meltdown is the rise in college tuition and other costs. Scholarship packages rarely cover the full amount for tuition, books and housing. Many potential students suffer and are unable to afford to go to college. One group that is particularly hit hard is single mothers. Helping single mothers get an education helps their families and future employers. The President believes in this and has begun a mission to create scholarships for moms. Federal Pell Grants have now been fondly called Obama grants. With these grants, college-bound students can receive over $5,000 to pay for school. For mothers and other students, this is increase of available money is valuable help. Working mothers can pay for tuition and books or even daycare if that allows them to attend school.
Another worthwhile program is the American Opportunity Tax Credit. This tax credit makes a way for students to write off the first $4,000 of their education costs. Especially for less expensive schools, $4,000 could be a significant help for a student. Since many single working mothers have low incomes, these programs are a major help. There are plenty of options on where, when and what a student can study. With a few less money worries, more single mothers can attend college.
Increasing educational opportunity and performance is undoubtedly one of the President's goals. With the recent passage of the economic stimulus plan, a lot of college loans will be offered by the government. In addition, the government is focusing on helping schools improve teaching and students improve performance. Another goal is to encourage more students to attend community colleges. Community colleges are more than a stepping stone on the way to a university. They are valuable institutions.
In his 2007 Reclaiming the American Dream speech, Obama stated, "We need to put a college education within reach of every American. That's the best investment we can make in our future." So far Obama's actions are backing up his words. Even though Obama's grants for moms get much attention they are certainly not the only important opportunity being offered. Traditional and non-traditional students alike have numerous opportunities to put their education first.
