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In Vietnam, research on the US higher education system has been introduced to the scholars as well as the public. However, there has been not much research that intensely focuses on higher education under the time of Barack Obama, especially after his reelection in 2012. As one of the first attempts, this research paper seeks to explore the higher education reform plans of President Obama and its details, implementation and responses, especially on federal financial supports. The paper begins with reviewing the remarkable features of the US Higher Education system and important historical legislations that make profound impacts to the US Higher Education system until today. Then, the investigation involves the legislations and their implementation under President Obama’s first term 20092012 and the reform plans for the second term 20122015. The analyses of the collected data demonstrate improvements of the President’s plans from previous financial policies; its strengths and challenges from scholars’ perspectives in order to discuss the plan’s possibility of success and its impacts.
ABSTRACT In Vietnam, research on the US higher education system has been introduced to the scholars as well as the public. However, there has been not much research that intensely focuses on higher education under the time of Barack Obama, especially after his reelection in 2012. As one of the first attempts, this research paper seeks to explore the higher education reform plans of President Obama and its details, implementation and responses, especially on federal financial supports. The paper begins with reviewing the remarkable features of the US Higher Education system and important historical legislations that make profound impacts to the US Higher Education system until today. Then, the investigation involves the legislations and their implementation under President Obama’s first term 2009-2012 and the reform plans for the second term 2012-2015. The analyses of the collected data demonstrate improvements of the President’s plans from previous financial policies; its strengths and challenges from scholars’ perspectives in order to discuss the plan’s possibility of success and its impacts. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS !"#$ %& #'()"&#*+&, -% .)#/#*+&, -% 0+# #$#1-% 2&!)+&!,),!. %3340 1+! ,)"#&-&+0 5 &!,),!#*++1+! ,)"#2 %)!$5"##*,+#!- !&/#&'$-6 .#&& 7/ ,!&8 %19)&#*++1+! ,)"#!*#!+&#!-+: %+#!!$$): %%+!);& (,&):00<)#*=,%%:00>? %.+1+! ,)"#)<>#*:@2 .-/&#** !$&, & . !$1!&A&)+#$!&+/& .% !$$#&. ..4#!BC&, -(#'&. .0 *#!$!-*$&. .@ D@ E$/1 $$&&$&F#! #$$1G6 !&8 %#&%? .+!&,//#!&%0 %ED/1)#&& #HG%@ %#$)&//$ #)#$$1& ,!&"&%@ iii %%#$)&//$ #&&%6 .+!!*#!/$&%: .E!1+1+)#,-)#$$1G%: .%E/!#1!&/!)- ))#,'$-G. 0 (#!9 1&#*+!&!)+ %"#&#*+&, -.0 .,11&"#&*#!*,!+!&, &.0 .2 .: iv ACRONYMS ARRA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act CCAF Community College of the Air Force ED The US Department of Education EFC Expected Family Contribution FAFSA Federal Student Aid Application FELFE Federal Family Education Loan FSEOG Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant HCERA Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act HEA Higher Education Act IBR Income-Based Repayment PLUS Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students TAACCCT Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training TEACH A Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education v LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES, AND CHARTS TABLES PAGE Table 1 The US postsecondary institutional classification system 6 Table 2 Federal loans system under FELFE program 13 Table 3 Federal loans system under HCERA 22 vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Statement and rationale In such a leading country as the United States of America, higher education takes pervasive roles because “the system has generated tremendous scientific discoveries, fueled the economy, solved pressing social problems, and ensured the cultural vitality in our [America’s] community” (Rosenstone, 2004). Moreover, access to higher education can bring tremendous opportunities to all kinds of people in America to realize their dreams and to move forward in their lives. Millions of students with postsecondary education can make tremendous contribution to their families and communities. The United States of America, which is home of the biggest and first-rated universities and colleges in the world, attracts millions of student all over the country and the world to come to study and do research every year. One thought- provoking question is how the US Government can run this giant system effectively and what are the efficacious educational incentives that they offer to support and encourage the development of universities and colleges. Moreover, in the era of economic crisis and international affairs, will the educational policies be placed as the first priority of the government or not? In an attempt to investigate this topic, the researcher has decided to conduct a study on “US President Barack Obama’s higher education reform plans” to bring the systemized knowledge and critical understanding about former and current educational policies of the US Higher education. This study can help students make comparisons with other education systems in the world. To the education managers/ scholars, the thesis contributes a critical perspective of Higher education policies in the US in order to provoke thoughts and ideas of comparing educational systems between the US and Vietnam. 1 2. Aims and objectives of the study The thesis aims at enriching the knowledge and understandings associated with Higher education in the US, under the administration of President Barack Obama. Specifically, the main objectives of this study are: • To systematize knowledge about plans and arguments relating to the former important acts of Higher education in the US since 1945, as well as the education reform plan of President Barack Obama • To analyze the practical situations of Obama’s higher education reform plan and its implementation; correspondingly, to discover critical viewpoints from the scholars, students and even the opposite party to the plan’s possibility of success and its impacts. 3. Scope of the study There are four main spotlights in the higher education reform plans; however, the research focuses on the policies that support students from middle- class families to afford higher education, and solutions to keep college cost and tuition down. The other plans of strengthening community colleges and veteran policies will be combined in one section. 4. Methodology The study is conducted as a secondary research in which the author critically collects, compares and synthesizes the information from various sources and different primary researches. The research features three main characteristics: (1) Data-collecting, which means data are searched and observed regularly through appropriate search engines, online books, library books and researches. This is the most important step for a secondary research, so the researcher has to check the validity and reliability to build quality databases. (2) Descriptive: To describe and systemize the characteristics, data and arguments of the primary sources, like the official policy, acts, and speeches related to provide objective and systematic synthesis of facts. (3) Explanatory: To explain and analyze the secondary sources, 2 from the micro level like the scholastic articles and statistics from NGOs, to the macro level of presidential debates to provide detailed synthesis of viewpoints. 5. Research structure The study includes four chapters as follows: Chapter 1- Introduction- introduces statement and rationale, aims and objectives, scope, methodology, and research structure of the study Chapter 2-An overview of the US higher education system- provides background of the study, including definitions and information of key concepts, legislations, and policies related to the study. Chapter 3- President Barack Obama’s higher education reform plans- presents, synthesizes and discusses the reform plans, implementations and responses in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the study. Chapter 4- Conclusions- summarizes the main issues of study, suggestions for further study, and limitations of the study. Following this chapter are the Bibliography and Appendices. 3 CHAPTER 2: AN OVERVIEW OF THE US HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM The US higher education seems to be converging yet different in many ways, thus, it is important not only to recognize them but also to understand their contexts- in history and culture. One of the most remarkable researches that laid the theoretical basis for the study is “Giáo dục Đại học Hoa Kỳ” by Professor Lâm Quang Thiệp, Professor D.Bruce Johnstone, and Professor Philip G.Altbach (2007). The research consists of 12 articles of several issues relating to higher education in the US, with an aim to bring a thorough perspective about the higher education system, governance, financing, accreditation, etc… Two most relevant parts for the study are: “Đặc điểm giáo dục đại học Hoa Kì” in chapter 1 by Professor Lâm Quang Thiệp, and chapter 2: The US Higher Education system by Prof. D. Bruce Johnstone, which describe the system of the US Higher Education, and indicate its features by the policies and historical events which influence the US Higher Education dramatically. As explained in the scope of the study, this study focuses on the reforms of Federal support for students and “keeping costs down” policies. To prepare the practical background for the study, the following section will present key concepts with description of types of Federal aid programs, especially grants and loans- the best tools to support students from the Government; and the policies applied to veterans. The research was carried out with highly reliable sources of information provided in the official pages and documents issued by the White House, the US Department of Education and subsidiary offices, and prestigious organizations. 1. Higher education system in the US United States operates one of the largest and most complex universal higher education systems in the world. Due to the scope of the study, the researcher will only discuss three main aspects: 1) Size and structure; 2) Decentralization of authority and responsibility; and 3) Costs and expenditures. 4 1.1. Size and structure of the US higher education According to the “Digest of Education Statistics 2011” by the US National Center for Education Statistics, in fall 2011, more than 76.3 million people were enrolled in American schools and colleges. Another 4.7 million were employed as elementary and secondary schoolteachers or as college faculty, in full-time equivalents. Other professional, administrative, and support staff at educational institutions totaled 5.6 million. With regard to postsecondary education, the digest reported: “College enrollment was 21.0 million in fall 2010, higher than in any previous year, and it is projected to continue setting new records from fall 2011 through fall 2020”. Between 2000 and 2010, it is stated that the traditional college-age population rose by 12%, and total college enrollment increased by 37 %; the number of full-time students increased by 45%, compared to a 26% increase in part-time students; and the number of males enrolled increased by 35%, while the number of females enrolled increased by 39%. Regarding the matter of higher education institutions, it is estimated that there were more than 4200 degree-granting colleges and universities, consisting of 1700 public and 2300 private ones (Johnstone, 2006). The US Higher Education, or the US Postsecondary Education, offers a diverse array of postsecondary educational experience, in terms of diplomas, educational programs, durations, and other polices. Based on the classification and data by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (cited in Johnstone, 2006), the US postsecondary institutional classification system is summarized in a table as followed: 5 . culture. One of the most remarkable researches that laid the theoretical basis for the study is Giáo dục Đại học Hoa Kỳ” by Professor Lâm Quang Thiệp, Professor D.Bruce Johnstone, and Professor Philip. system, governance, financing, accreditation, etc… Two most relevant parts for the study are: “Đặc điểm giáo dục đại học Hoa Kì” in chapter 1 by Professor Lâm Quang Thiệp, and chapter 2: The US Higher Education