subject: Obama Grants: Education Is Top Priority [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. One major part of the effort is to make available to students more free money for college. Expenses like college tuition and housing grow even as the economy suffers. Tuition and housing costs often far exceed scholarship offers. Unfortunately some students turn away from higher education because it's too expensive. Single, working moms are a big section of this group. 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. There is no difference between Federal Pell Grants and Obama grants. The name "Obama grants" came as a result of the President's emphasis on educating moms. To help with university costs, a student can earn more than $5,000. This is an increase of $1,000 over the previous maximum, and the goal is to help working mothers return to school. The scholarship money covers practically all school-related expenses. Another incentive to consider is the American Opportunity Tax Credit. This program allows the first $4,000 of education expenses to be free. At less expensive schools in particular this is a big credit. A grant and a tax break could be just the thing to help students like working single moms. Students have numerous school options: full-time or part-time, 2-year or 4-year college, multiple majors. 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. 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. 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." The President has shown a good effort to support his words through action. 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.
