College Promise Statement on the Biden American Families Plan

The proposed American Families Plan takes crucial steps toward transforming the American talent pipeline and making college free and accessible for all hard-working Americans. If America is to remain competitive in the global marketplace, pathways to economic and social mobility are critical to a fulsome national recovery.

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America must take bold steps to bolster its position in the world. The pace of change in the knowledge economy affecting the American workforce makes a high school education insufficient to build the knowledge and skills required for long-term career success now or in the future.

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Far too many Americans are unable to reach the American Dream due to economic and structural barriers preventing their full participation in our economy. Without critical skills, education, and training, Americans cannot meet their full potential in today’s global market.  

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Community colleges are the heartbeat of education and training for hard-working Americans. Since their inception a century ago, they provide the open door for an education beyond high school that continues to enable millions of our nation’s families to pursue flexible career-technical training, traditional postsecondary education, and beyond. In doing so, they prepare our nation’s critical workers - first responders, healthcare support staff, teachers, steelworkers, carpenters, welders, and other frontline workers - to drive the economic recovery of America’s infrastructure.

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Community colleges are intimately connected to the needs of their communities and their local labor markets.. It is therefore urgent that we advance the College Promise for All, starting with America’s community colleges. On April 12, 2021, College Promise offered its ideas for a robust College Promise for All.

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We look forward to working with members of Congress and the Administration as they pursue this momentous college, career, and infrastructure investment for the 21st century.