subject: Obama Scholarships: A College Education Within Reach [print this page] It's widely accepted that education is important to having a successful future. Since running for office in 2008, President Barack Obama has made education a priority issue for his administration. Scholarships and grants are only a small part of the education system makeover.
One familiar part of the economic meltdown is the rise in college tuition and other costs. Schools don't offer scholarships to ever student to cover necessary expenses. Unfortunately some students turn away from higher education because it's too expensive. Single, working moms are a big section of this group. Educating women and single moms is important to increase the workforce and help provide for children and families. It's important to the President and that's why he's implemented a program for scholarships for mothers. If you've heard of Obama grants for moms, know that people are referring to Federal Pell Grants. These grants award a student over $5,000 to go to college. This is an increase of $1,000 over the previous maximum, and the goal is to help working mothers return to school. Working mothers can pay for tuition and books or even daycare if that allows them to attend school.
The American Opportunity Tax Credit is also a very valuable program. This program allows the first $4,000 of education expenses to be free. This $4,000 write off can be a big help to many students. A grant and a tax break could be just the thing to help students like working single moms. There are plenty of options on where, when and what a student can study. Taking away a little of the financial burden of college is a helpful way to get more students enrolled.
Making more efforts to improve education opportunities is the best way for President Obama to show that he values them. With the recent passage of the economic stimulus plan, a lot of college loans will be offered by the government. There is also emphasis on ways to improve school and student achievement in all areas. The President believes community colleges need to become viable options. Community college is important to prepare students for a 4-year college but also to prepare them for a 2-year degree or technical skill.
"We need to put a college education within reach of every American. That's the best investment we can make in our future." Those are the words of President Obama in his 2007 speech Reclaiming the American Dream. With the measures he has taken to this point, the President has demonstrated he means his words. If the goal is to educate as many as possible, making grants available for mothers is a good step. Traditional and non-traditional students alike have numerous opportunities to put their education first.
