“I wish that that opportunity was available to me because I ended up graduating from school with a lot of debt”, said parent Vanessa Howell, who was in the audience at North High School.
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The president flew to Iowa via Air Force One to meet up with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, whose annual “Back-to-School bus tour” is traversing seven Midwest states that include stops in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.
Obama challenged high school students to sit down with their families to fill out the federal forms to determine whether they are eligible for federal financial aid for college.
While not mentioning Carson by name, one student asked Obama for a reaction to Carson’s comments during the summer suggesting colleges should be monitored by the Department of Education for political bias.
On the eve of the 2012 election, he returned to Iowa for his final rally as a candidate, an emotional event held just steps from the site of his original campaign office in Des Moines.
“I should point out by the way if you want to see the best graduation rate in America is right here in Iowa”, said President Obama.
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Pulitzer Prize winning Iowa… He pushed investment in high speed internet access.
Biden plans to travel to Southern California on Wednesday to promote the administration’s climate change agenda – just as the Republican presidential candidates convene up the road for their second debate, hosted by CNN, at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
President Obama said students should not be priced out of education.
Obama has not said whom he favors in the Democratic race.
“If you hear a candidate say that the big problem with education is teachers, you should not vote for that person”, Obama said and the crowd applauded.
The White House had been coy about Obama’s choice of location for Monday’s event. Among the Democrats, a self-declared socialist senator, Bernie Sanders, is surging against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was campaigning in the eastern part of Iowa on Monday.
“This administrative effort is going to mean an easier and earlier FAFSA”, said Cecilia Muñoz, White House domestic policy council director. Learning about aid eligibility options earlier in the college application process will help students and families understand the true cost of attending college – taking available financial aid into account – and make more informed decisions.
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‘First of all, I didn’t hear this candidate say that.
