President Obama is eyeing community colleges in his quest to produce 8 million more graduates by 2020. Obama is hosting a summit at the White House that will include representatives from community colleges, business, philanthropy and government in discussions about how these schools can meet the increased demand for job training. President Obama also wants the U.S. to become the world's top producer of college graduates by 2020. He has already enlisted the help of Dr. Jill Biden, an educator and vice-president Joe Biden's wife, and Bill and Melinda Gates, whose foundation has pledged $35 million toward the effort to boost U.S. graduation rates at community colleges. Community colleges are finally getting the respect, funding and publicity that they deserve. "Race to the top" now has new meaning.
Read more about President Obama's initiative at the Associated Press. Read more about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donation at Bloomberg.