In a recently released Lumina Foundation policy paper, Sara Goldrick-Rab and Nancy Kendall reveal their plan to give Americans a free 2 year college option (F2CO). That is, the 13th and 14th years of (postsecondary) education at community college would be free, which under F2CO means:
“…students will not face any costs for
tuition, fees, books or supplies, and will receive a stipend and guaranteed
employment at a living wage to cover their living expenses. Unsubsidized,
dischargeable loans of a small amount will also be available for those who need
them.”
In a number of important ways, this plan is
inferior to the professional model for higher education that I propose
(referred to here as, PSA). Having made this claim in a tweet to Sara Goldrick-Rab,
her reply was that PSA is:
“…not adjusted for increases in enrollment and
persistence rates; would result in declining per student $ over time.”