Abstract
The fiscal benefits that community colleges bring to the local, state, and national economies have long been the province of anecdote, conjecture, and debate, but important new work has taken much of the mystery and guesswork out of this question. We now know that the rate of return delivered on tax dollars spent to support community colleges is demonstrable and substantial across a wide variety of indicators. Community colleges create improvement in almost every measurable variable related to quality of life. “Affordable” tuition at America's community colleges will help our most financially disadvantaged citizens perhaps most dramatically, but it will also improve the quality of life for all of us—fostering economic growth, strengthening our position in the global marketplace, and providing the nation with better security because of improved economic stability. If we are willing to think about long-term economic growth and stability, providing affordable tuition at our nation's community colleges is a goal that makes sound economic and political sense. Tuition should be keyed to the share of family income required to pay for tuition at a public two-year college. This benchmark should be set in relation to federal poverty guidelines for the lowest wage-earning families in America.
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