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2.
Increasing Pell Grants
Dramatically Increased Pell Grant Funding. A landmark investment in Pell Grants was
enacted in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which ended student loan
subsidies for private financial institutions and banks and shifted more than $60 billion in savings
back to students. Of the additional 3.4 million students who have received Pell grants since the
President took office, approximately two thirds, or 2.3 million, are women. Since President
Obama took office, the number of Pell Grant recipients has increased by 50%, allowing millions
of additional low-income and middle-class students to attend college. The President has raised
the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,635 for the 2013-14 award year—a $905 increase since
2008.
3.
Student Loan Debt Management
Income Based Repayment. Announced as an executive action last fall, the Administration͛s
͞Pay as You Earn͟ plan expands income-based repayment, enabling 1.6 million students to cap
repayment of their student loans at 10% of their monthly income. Additionally, millions of
borrowers are now eligible to consolidate Direct Loans and FFEL Loans and save up to half a
percentage point on their interest rate.
Keeping Student Loan Interest Rates Low. This summer, interest rates on subsidized Stafford
student loans are slated to double from 3.4% to 6.8% — a significant burden at a time when the
economy is still fragile and students are taking on increasing amounts of debt to earn a degree.
The President has called on Congress to prevent that hike from taking place this year, a proposal
that will keep interest rates low for 7.4 million student loan borrowers and save the average
student over a thousand dollars during the life of the loan.
Promoting A New College Scorecard and Financial Aid Shopping Sheet. The Department
of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have launched the ͞Know efore
You Owe͟ campaign to create a model financial aid disclosure form (͞shopping sheet͟) to help
students better understand the type and amount of aid they qualify for and easily compare aid
packages offered by different colleges and universities. The President has also called for a
College Scorecard, a report card for colleges containing key indicators of student success and
financial outcomes that make it easier for students and families to choose a college that is best
suited to their goals, finances, and needs.
B.
Job and Workforce Training
Technical and skill-based training and credentials are often prerequisites for employment in the highest-
paying, fastest-growing sectors of our economy. The Obama Administration has undertaken a number of
initiatives to ensure that women have the training and skills they need to compete in today͛s economy.
Investments in the Recovery Act enabled states to help millions of out of work Americans—including
millions of women—seeking jobs or job training opportunities. $750 million was specifically dedicated to
grants to help prepare workers for careers in high-growth industries, such as healthcare, green jobs,
advanced manufacturing, and information technology, and tens of thousands of Americans received job
training that helped them to earn industry-recognized credentials, find employment, or advance in their
careers. The Administration also funds nearly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers nationally. More than 50%
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of the customers at these centers are women who depend on the enters͛ training and education
programs to upgrade their skills and prepare for high quality employment.
1.
Community College and Business Partnerships
Making Historic Investments in Community College Workforce Training Efforts. The
Obama Administration has already invested $500 million through the Trade Adjustment
Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative to support partnerships among
community colleges, employers, and Workforce Investment Boards to develop programs that
provide pathways for individuals negatively impacted by trade. These programs will help these
individuals secure jobs in high-wage, high-skill fields including advanced manufacturing,
transportation, healthcare, and STEM. The Administration will invest an additional $1.5 billion in
this initiative over the next three years. Building on this success, the President proposed a new
$8 billion Community College to Career Fund in his FY13 Budget. This Fund will help forge new
partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train two million workers for good-
paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries.
Developing Business and Training Partnerships to uild mericans’ Skills. Last year, the
Obama Administration helped launch Skills for America͛s Future, an industry-led initiative to
improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nationwide network to
maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placements.
Through this initiative, the President announced a new partnership of private sector employers,
community colleges, and the National Association of Manufacturers to provide 500,000
community college students with industry-recognized credentials that will help them secure jobs
in the manufacturing sector.
2.
Displaced Worker Training and Services
Expanding Access to Training and Services for Displaced Workers. Displaced workers are
individuals who lost their jobs through no fault of their own but because their employer closed a
plant or division, moved or abolished their position, or simply had insufficient work for them.
From 2007 to 2009, more than 6 million women became displaced from their jobs. Currently,
displaced workers must endure a lengthy administrative process just to determine what services
they are eligible to receive. As part of the President͛s effort to reform and modernize our
training system, the Administration is proposing to expand the availability of a universal suite of
training and employment services to a broader number of dislocated workers by consolidating
and improving the federal government͛s two major programs for displaced workers—the
existing Trade Adjustment Assistance program and the Workforce Investment Act͛s Dislocated
Worker program. In 2010, about 150,000 workers completed training through one of these two
programs. Under the Administration͛s proposal, this number would rise to almost 500,000.
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C.
STEM and Title IX
͞Last month, I got a chance to meet the winners of the Google Science Fair. This is an international competition of
high school students, the cutting edge of technology and science. All three of the winners turned out to be
Americans. All three were girls.… My wish for my daughters and for yours remains the same. I want them to go out
into a world where there is no limit to how big they can dream, how high they can reach…͟
- Remarks by President Obama at the National Women's Law Center's Annual Awards Dinner, (November 9, 2011)
Nowhere is the misalignment between academic preparation and labor market demand more evident
than in the critical fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Over the next decade, there will
be approximately 8.5 million STEM job openings; but during that same time period, there will be a
projected shortage of 1 million STEM graduates.
113
Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the
U.S. economy, they hold less than 25% of STEM jobs – jobs which often pay significantly more than non-
STEM jobs and are vital for American innovation and economic growth.
This gender gap starts well before women enter the workforce. Girls in grades 4, 8, and 12 continue to
score slightly below boys in science achievement tests.
114
In addition, fewer girls than boys take
advanced placement exams in STEM-related subjects, and many girls who take advanced science
courses in high school do not go on to study science in college.
115
Almost one-third of all male freshmen,
compared with only 15% of all female freshmen, plan to major in a STEM field even though 15 out of the
20 fastest growing occupations in 2014 are expected to require science or mathematics training.
116
Today, while women are the majority of students in our colleges, they hold a significantly smaller
proportion of degrees awarded in many of the most vital STEM fields, such as engineering and computer
science. Further, women with a STEM degree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a
STEM occupation.
P
RESIDENT
B
ARACK
O
BAMA CONGRATULATES
G
OOGLE
S
CIENCE
F
AIR WINNERS
,
FROM LEFT
,
N
AOMI
S
HAH
,
S
HREE
B
OSE
,
AND
L
AUREN
H
ODGE IN THE
O
VAL
O
FFICE
,
O
CT
.
3,
2011.
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Since he first took office, President Obama has made it a high priority to attract and retain girls and
women in STEM fields with policies ranging from education reform to the elevation of female scientists
and engineers as role models.
1.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education
Rewarding States that Engage Girls in STEM. In the 2009 Race to the Top competition, a
comprehensive and transformative education program focused on spurring innovation and
reforms in K-12 education, President Obama granted states competitive preference in the
application process if they demonstrated efforts to close the STEM gap for girls and other
underrepresented groups.
117
This was the sole competitive preference in the application
process, and all 12 of the states receiving an award through the $4 billion program earned
points for addressing this STEM priority. This emphasis was maintained in the most recent round
of competition, which awarded $200 million to nine additional states.
118
Encouraging Girls and Young Women to Pursue STEM Careers
Linking Young Women to the Transportation Industry. The transportation
industry is projected to grow 11% from 2008 to 2018.
119
Under the leadership of
Secretary Ray LaHood, the Department of Transportation launched a series of
Transportation YOU programs for girls 13-17 in cities across the country—from
San Francisco to Denver to Raleigh. This initiative serves as a source of
scholarship, internship, and networking opportunities, encouraging girls to
pursue employment in high-growth STEM fields in which women are
significantly underrepresented.
120
Introducing Girls to Aerospace Engineering Careers. NASA hosts a series of
educational programs aimed at encouraging young women and girls to pursue
careers in STEM fields. NASA͛s Digital Learning Network provides opportunities
for girls to learn about STEM career choices through a variety of distance
learning initiatives throughout the year. The program centers around Virtual
Visits, through which 4
th
-12
th
graders interact with NASA experts. Since its
inception in September 2011, 27 sessions have been conducted with 91 NASA
professionals. In addition, through the Women in STEM High School Aerospace
Scholars program, girls take part in online programming and a week-long
summer workshop to build confidence and enhance their interest in STEM
fields. NASA also developed a series of digital films designed to inspire middle-
school girls by highlighting young women working at NASA.
121
Connecting Girls with STEM Mentors and Role Models. Research has pointed to
the importance of female mentors for keeping young women in STEM
careers.
122
To spark middle and high school girls͛ interest in STEM, the Women
in STEM Speakers Bureau deploys top female Administration scientists and
others to student roundtables across the country. In addition, in Spring 2011,
the Department of Energy (DOE) created a mentoring program that matches
female college students with successful DOE employees.
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Providing STEM Programming and Educational Opportunities. In 2010, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created education
forums focused on astrophysics, planetary science, earth science, and
heliophysics to provide STEM education opportunities, including targeted
programs for girls. In 2011, hundreds of NASA scientists and science educators
reached 250,000 girls through events including classroom experiences,
afterschool programs, career days, and museum activities. In partnership with
the American Library Association (ALA), NASA is engaging girls in learning about
the universe through hands-on activities at public libraries. Through ͞Astro4Girls
and Their Families͟, girls are learning about the universe and celebrating the
contribution of women to astronomy and science. Over the past two years,
through NASA͛s Strong Gravity/Big Explosions program, more than 2,200 girls
across the country have had the opportunity to join scientists for a day to
explore exploding stars and black holes.
124
2.
Title IX
͞I also want to say something as a father. You know, it was this program in the mid-1990s as much as anything that
helped propel women's basketball into the national consciousness. And thanks to players like each of these
women and those who came before them, our young women today look at themselves differently, especially tall
young women, like my daughters. My girls look at the TV when I'm watching SportsCenter and
they see women
staring back. That shows them that they can be champions, too. And so, as a father, I want to thank all of you.͟
-
Remarks by President Obama, Honoring the 2008-09 N AA Women’s asketball hampions (April 27, 2009)
Defending Title IX.
The Departments of Justice and Education have acted aggressively to
defend Title IX, protecting women͛s rights to equal opportunity in athletics, challenging a
discriminatory single-sex program, and combating sexual assault on school and college
campuses. The Departments of Justice and Education have also been actively enforcing Title IX
to ensure that it includes protections against sex stereotyping (discrimination based on a
student͛s failure to conform to stereotypes of how individuals of the student͛s gender are
expected to look and act).
125
DOJ is also coordinating the enforcement of Title IX across federal
P
RESIDENT
O
BAMA GREETS THE
2009
G
IRLS
L
ITTLE
L
EAGUE
S
OFTBALL
W
ORLD
C
HAMPIONS FROM
W
ARNER
R
OBINS
,
G
EORGIA IN THE
E
AST
R
OOM OF THE
W
HITE
H
OUSE
,
J
ULY
27
TH
2010.
9
55
agencies to ensure they are meeting their Title IX obligations to address and prevent
discrimination based on sex.
126
Using Title IX as a Guide for STEM. In 2009, NASA published a report, Title IX & STEM:
Promising Practices for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics that provides a
valuable guide for educational institutions that strive to assess and improve women͛s
participation in STEM programs.
127
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