Marco Rubio Continues Push for Higher Ed Reform

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., appeared on CNBCs Squawk Box on Tuesday morning to focus on education reform. Rubio offered a speech on the subject on Monday at Miami-Dade College.

Rubio touched on education being the gateway to success and improving your family in the United States.

Mobility, that ability to rise above the circumstances of your birth, is something I experienced, Rubio said. Perhaps many of you have experienced, as well, most Americans have. The data now shows that were no longer, perhaps, the most mobile country in the world. And I just wont accept that. Because thats one of the things that I think makes us truly exceptional. So what is it thats holding people back, increasingly in the 21st century and the post-industrial revolution? Its the lack of access to higher education.

The problem is we have a 20th century higher education model that says, Everyone has to go and get a four-year degree, then you get a bachelors, then you get a graduate degree. And thats still good, but thats not the only way for everyone, Rubio added. There are a bunch of professions being created that require more than high school, but less than college. We have to provide access to those sorts of learning as well. And then youve got this explosion in technology thats brought knowledge and learning to more people than ever before. But, we dont reward it with a degree. We dont pay for it with federal student aid. And that makes it inaccessible to many, many people and thats why you have a trillion dollars in student loan debt out there today across this country.

So I propose three things. One: More information for students. I filed a bill called Right to Know Before You Go with Senator Wyden, Rubio continued. That means students will be told before they take out a loan, This is how much you can expect to make when you graduate with this degree, from this institution. I also think we should open up lending to private investment groups that can invest directly in an individual student. And a student pledges to pay that back through a percentage of their income over a defined period of time. And finally, we need to open up the accreditation process and be able to allow people to get credit and ultimately degrees, based not just on classroom work, but also on life experience, work experience, areas that you can show aptitude in through testing and online learning.