FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 4, 2014
CONTACT: Ian Koski at 202-224-5042

Senator Coons applauds new White House initiatives to broaden college access

White House’s College Opportunity Day of Action showcases new programs to send more Americans to college

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Thursday applauded the White House’s College Opportunity Day of Action, which brought together schools, businesses, and government leaders from around the country to begin new efforts to ensure more Americans have the opportunities, skills, and support they need to go to college. Participating organizations announced more than 600 new actions focused on four areas:

• building networks of colleges focused on promoting completion,
• creating K-16 partnerships around college readiness,
• investing in high school counselors, and
• increasing the number of college graduates in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy was in Washington for the day as well to tout the First State’s efforts to expand access to college. This was the second annual College Opportunity Day of Action at the White House.

“There is no greater equalizer than education, and there is no greater way to ensure a young person’s future success than a college degree,” Senator Coons said. “Too many of our children have the talent and work ethic to thrive in college, but lack the resources and support to realize their dreams. From the high cost of college to the complexity of the application process, too many hurdles still lie in the way of those who can least afford it. The White House’s second College Opportunity Day of Action is a great initiative that brings together Americans to help realize a central tenet of the American Dream – the opportunity for our children to achieve a brighter future. We can and must do a better job of providing opportunities for every young American to reach higher, and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues, the Administration, and Delawareans to put a college degree within the grasp of every student who’s willing to reach for it.”

Senator Coons has been a leader in the fight to expand access to college in the Senate. He is the author of two bills – the American Dream Accounts Act and the Fast Track to College Act – that would ensure more young people have the resources and support to go to college as well as the opportunities to start college level work during high school.

The bipartisan American Dream Accounts Act is cosponsored by Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and has been introduced in the last two congresses. The bill would help increase the number of low-income and at-risk students able to access and complete a college education by authorizing the Department of Education to award three-year competitive grants to support innovative and comprehensive partnerships that support low-income students in preparation for a college education. The bill was recently included in Senator Tom Harkin’s (D-Iowa) reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

You can learn more about the American Dream Accounts Act here: http://1.usa.gov/1pthqOC

Senator Coons joined with Senator Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) in September to introduce the Fast Track to College Act, to help more low-income students access and complete a college education. The bill supports state and local efforts to implement early college high schools and other dual or concurrent enrollment programs that enable students to start earning college credits while in high school – free of cost.