President Obama is in Tennessee on Friday, along with the state’s Republican governor and two Republican senators, to lay out his plan for free community college. The plan — which would require congressional approval — would apply to students attending a two-year college, including part time, so long as the college offered credits that could transfer to a four-year college or provided training that led to jobs.

The odds of a Republican Congress passing an Obama proposal on any issue aren’t very high. But the interest of some Republicans in this issue makes it conceivable that Congress could pass a related program. Perhaps more likely, states and local governments could decide to implement their own, smaller versions of the Obama plan. White House officials argue that pattern has happened with minimum-wage increases and preschool programs, in which Mr. Obama’s advocacy of an issue has given it local momentum.

If nothing else, the Obama proposal seems likely to increase the profile of the universal-college movement. That movement echoes the universal high school movement of the early 20th century, as I mentioned in an article Thursday. Here, you’ll find a reading list for anyone interested in learning more about the issues and the debate.

One clear influence on the Obama plan is a proposal by Sara Goldrick-Rab and Nancy Kendall, professors at the University of Wisconsin. They argue that the current financial aid system is broken, which explains why “students from high-income families who enter college are now six times more likely than those from low-income families to complete bachelor’s degrees by age 25.”