RESEARCH LINKS
Issue 1: Free College Tuition
Congress.gov: S.1288 “College for All Act of 2021”
Heritage Foundation OpEd: “The High Cost of Free College Tuition”
Peter G. Peterson Foundation: “What Is Free College and How Much Cost?”
Cato Institute: “Free College Will Hike Costs for Taxpayers”
Roll Call: “Proposed Education Spending Hike Faces Resistance in Senate”
Philadelphia Inquirer: “Should Public College Be Free? Pro Con”
Issue 2: Free Child Care
Congress.gov: H.R.5376 “Build Back Better Act”
Kaiser Family Foundation: “Women, Work and Family During COVID Survey”
First Five Years Fund: “Child Care System Is Not Meeting the Needs of Families”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Economic Impact of Childcare Breakdown”
Politico: “A Lack of Child Care Is Keeping Women on Unemployment Rolls”
Center for Law and Social Policy: “Things to Know about Child Care and BBB”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Issue 1: Free College Tuition
- Are you for or against U.S. taxpayers funding free college tuition? Why?
- Would implementing taxpayer-funded college tuition make it too easy for colleges to raise costs, knowing the government will pay for them? Why or why not?
- Should there be a cap on tuition that would be considered “free?” How should incidental costs be covered? How would existing student financial aid programs be affected?
- Would tuition-free public college expand access to education for American families, or restrict it? Why?
- Providing government-funded college tuition would no doubt increase the number of students who register at community colleges. Would this encourage or discourage innovation among those institutions?
Issue 2: Free Child Care
- Should the government subsidize the cost of childcare for all families? Why or why not?
- Should child care be left to individual families or is it a societal issue? Justify and defend your position using reasoning and logic.
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said, “It’s impossible to have a strong economy when it’s too expensive to work because of child care.” Do you agree with her statement? Why or why not?
- How is the issue of making child care affordable tied to gender equality?
- Would providing taxpayer-funded child care to poor, disadvantaged and low-skilled households level the playing field for these populations? Why or why not?