究竟什么才能让美国再次伟大？

在2016年美国总统大选期间，无论你支持的是哪位候选人，此次大选都揭示了这样一个事实——美国人对经济的不安全感正在显著加深，生怕这个需要一系列全新技能的时代将他们抛在身后。据ABC新闻的民调显示，超过十分之六的选民对美国经济持负面展望，高达93的支持特朗普的选民认为，美国正走在一个错误的轨道上。

在美国国内，关于各种政治分歧的报道和分析可谓汗牛充栋。或许现在是时候让我们讨论一下那些能让我们团结起来、能让美国继续伟大下去的事了。

首先要说的是美国的教育系统，它仍然是令全世界羡慕的对象，否则世界各国的政治经济精英也不会争先恐后地把他们的子女送到美国来读大学。在这方面，没有任何国家能比得上美国。

虽然美国的优秀大学是理所当然值得关注的，然而美国的社区大学却经常被忽视。

读完两年的社区大学所带来的经济效益是非常明显的。据美国劳工部统计，读完大专学历的美国公民的失业率仅有3.8%，远低于4.6%的全美平均值。社区大学的学生毕业后，往往具备了高度市场化的技术技能，使他们立即成为劳动力市场上的香饽饽，从而能够为家庭提供经济支持。

有些学生则把社区大学作为读四年制本科之前的过渡，而这些学生未来的就业机会甚至更加光明。美国人口普查数据表明，读完四年大学的学生的终身收入要比普通高中毕业生高出近100万美元。

因此，对于普通人来说，进入四年制大学的那一刻，就是他们人生的一个重要转折点。如果我们真想解决拖累美国已久的经济机会差距拉大的问题，如果我们真想在未来的全球经济中继续保持美国的领导性地位，教育正是我们应该优先着手的地方。教育就像公路和高速无线网络一样，是基础设施的重要组成部分，是未来的经济赖以运行的关键。然而如果没有持续的投资，它就会失败。

待到明年一月特朗普上台以后，特朗普政府必须重新思考如何改革美国高等教育体系的成本和资金问题。虽然目前学生能够申请的奖学金和低息助学贷款已然不少，但联邦政府和各州的当选官员仍应确保寒门出身的优秀子弟能够获得奖金。我见过太多的学生，他们本来有着光明的前途，却由于沉重的学生贷款负担而断绝了上升之路。如果让这些寒门子弟在大学校门前打道回府，只会让美国的经济前景更加黯淡。现在有些城市已经开始为成绩优异的学生减免社区大学的学费，这种方法应该被广泛推广。

不过，为胸怀大志的学生提供支持，并非仅仅是联邦政府的目标，我们也是人人有责。很多社区大学的学生并不容易接触到真正的商业世界。由于眼界有限，他们对自己往往也不会有过高的预期。而如果这些学生能接触到各种各样的机会，他们就能运用自己的聪明才智来改善自己的生活，丰富身边的世界，从而实现人生的跃升。

念社区大学的学生恰恰是美国最优秀的部分的一个投影。他们专心致志地学习和工作——哪怕这个过程很艰难，哪怕放弃看起来会容易得多。是时候让我们给这些学生一些早已应得的关注了。

是时候让我们帮助他们迈出人生的下一步了。 （财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

本文作者Phil Bronner是Quad Learning公司和“美国荣誉”项目的联合创始人和CEO。

Whichever candidate you supported in the 2016 president election, the campaign laid bare a profound and rising economic insecurity among Americans who fear getting left behind by an economy that rewards an entirely new set of skills. According to ABC News exit polls, more than six in 10 voters held a negative view of the economy, while a stunning 93% of those who supported President-elect Donald Trump felt that the country is on the wrong track.

There’s no shortage of coverage and analysis of our country’s many political divisions. Maybe it’s time we start talking more about the things that unite us – and continue to make America great in endless ways.

That conversations start with America’s higher education system, which remains the envy of the world. There’s a reason that the political and economic elite of every country vie to send their children to American universities. No other country comes close.

While our excellent universities are deservedly in the spotlight, America’s community colleges are often overlooked.

The economic benefits of completing a two-year community college program are significant. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for those who earn an Associates degree is just 3.8% — well below the national average of 4.6%. Students who move from community college to the workforce often start out their careers with highly marketable technical skills that make them instantly in-demand in the workforce and able to provide for their families.

For students who attend community colleges as a bridge to a four-year Bachelor’s degree, the opportunities for career advancement are even greater. The U.S. Census reports that graduating from a four-year college nets nearly $1 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma alone.

This moment of transition to a four-year college, then, is a major tipping point. If we are serious about addressing the growing economic opportunity gap plaguing our country – and if we are serious about maintaining America’s leadership in the future global economy — this is where we should start. Much like our roadways and high-speed wireless networks, education is a vital part of the infrastructure upon which tomorrow’s economy will run. Without sustained investment, it will falter.

As Trump takes office in January, his administration must rethink the nation’s approach to the cost and financing of higher education. While there are a variety of scholarship and low-interest loan programs available, elected officials at the state and federal level should reward lower-income students who commit to a college education and excel. I’ve seen too many students discouraged from reaching for the stars because of the massive looming burden of student loans. Turning less-fortunate students away at the gates of higher education only short-changes our country’s economic future. Some cities have taken the initiative to provide free community college tuition to students who achieve high academic ranking; these efforts should be expanded.

But supporting aspiring students isn’t up to the federal government alone; we all have a role to play. Many community college students have limited exposure to the business world. With a limited horizon, they have limited expectations for themselves. When these students are exposed to all of the ways they can use their brainpower to improve their lives and enrich the world around them, they leap at the opportunity.

Students who attend community colleges are a reflection of the very best of America. They simply put their head down and get the job done – even when it’s hard, and even when quitting seems a whole lot easier. It’s time we shine a much-deserved spotlight on these students.

It’s time we helped them take the next step forward.