obama speech about education

Text of President Obama's School Speech

President Obama will deliver a controversial address to students Tuesday.

Sept. 7, 2009 -- Prepared remarks of President Barack Obama's Back-to-School speech to be delivered on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 in Arlington, Va.:

Hello everyone – how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

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Full text of President Obama's speech on the importance of education

Published: Sep. 08, 2009, 7:07 p.m.

Ed Kubosiak

(Editor's note: Here are prepared remarks that President Barack Obama delivered Tuesday at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.)

Hello everyone - how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday - at 4:30 in the morning.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world - and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Maybe you could be a good writer - maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper - but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor - maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine - but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life - I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that - if you quit on school - you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.

Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in.

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life - what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home - that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer - hundreds of extra hours - to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education - and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things. But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust - a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you - don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down - don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

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Barack Obama school speech in full

Hello everyone, how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through 12th grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfil your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Maybe you could be a good writer maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that if you quit on school you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.

Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our first lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighbourhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer hundreds of extra hours to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighbourhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health centre; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honours and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you, you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counsellor and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

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Presidential Speeches

July 24, 2013: remarks on education and the economy, about this speech.

Barack Obama

July 24, 2013

President Obama delivers a speech on education, the economy, and the job market for young people on the University of Central Missouri campus in Warrensburg, Missouri.

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Hello, Warrensburg! (Applause.) Hello, Mules! (Applause.) Hello, Jennies! (Applause.) Well, I know it’s hot. (Laughter.) That’s why I took off my jacket. If you’ve still got yours on feel free to take it off. It is great to be back in Missouri. It’s great to be back in the Midwest. It’s great to be here at UCM. (Applause.)

I want to thank your outstanding president, Dr. Chuck Ambrose, for having me here today. (Applause.) Give Brian a big round of applause for the introduction. (Applause.) You’ve got your outstanding governor, Jay Nixon, in the house. (Applause.) Your mayor, Charlie Rutt, is here. (Applause.) And I brought a special guest with me who is celebrating her birthday today -- your senator, Claire McCaskill. (Applause.) I figured the least I could do is give her a ride on Air Force One for her birthday. (Laughter.)

So we’ve got Mules in the house. We’ve got Jennies in the house. We’ve got governors, we’ve got senators, and now we’ve probably got some very confused people watching at home, because who is Jennie? (Laughter.)

I want to thank all the students who came out on a summer afternoon. I know that summer is -- especially a day as pretty as today, it’s tempting to be outside. I know classes don’t start for a few more weeks. You could be over on Pine Street beating the heat. (Applause.) Now that I think about it, it may be good that you’re here instead of getting into trouble. (Laughter.)

I’ve just come from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where I gave a pretty long speech on the economy. I will not repeat the whole thing here. (Applause.) But what I did want to talk about today is what I’ve talked about when I gave my first big speech as a senator eight years ago, and that’s where we as a country need to go to give every American a chance to get ahead in the 21st century. And UCM understands how important that is. (Applause.)

Just a little context here -- in the period after World War II, you had a growing middle class that was the engine of our prosperity. The economy did well in part because everybody was participating. And whether you owned a company, or you swept the floors of that company, or you worked anywhere in between, America offered a basic bargain: If you work hard, then you will be rewarded with fair wages and benefits. You’ll have the chance to buy your own home. You’ll have the chance to save for retirement. You’ll have the protection of decent health insurance. But most of all, you’ll have the chance to pass on a better life to your kids.

And then what happened was that engine began to stall. The bargain began to fray. So technology made some jobs obsolete -- nobody goes to a bank teller anymore. You want to schedule a trip somewhere, you get online. Global competition sent some jobs overseas. When I was in Galesburg, we talked about the Maytag plant that used to make household brands there and people -- thousands of people used to work in the plant and it went down to Mexico. Then Washington doled out bigger tax cuts to folks at the top income brackets, smaller minimum wage increases for people who were struggling. You combine all this and the income of the top 1 percent quadrupled from 1979 to 2007, but the typical family’s incomes barely budged.

So a lot of middle-class families began to feel that the odds were stacked against them -- and they were right. And then for a while, this was kind of papered over because we had a housing bubble going on, and everybody was maxing out on their credit cards, everybody was highly leveraged, there were a lot of financial deals going around. And so it looked like the economy was going to be doing okay, but then by the time I took office, the bottom had fallen out. And it cost, as we know, millions of Americans their jobs or their homes or their savings. And that long-term erosion of middle-class security was evident for everybody to see.

Now, the good news is, five years later, five years after the crisis first hit, America has fought its way back. So together, we saved an auto industry. We took on a broken health care system. We invested in new American technologies to reverse our addiction to foreign oil. We doubled the production of clean energy. Natural gas took off. We put in place tough new rules on big banks and mortgage lenders and credit card companies. We changed the tax code so it was fair for middle-class folks and didn't just benefit folks at the very top like me. (Laughter.) No, it's true, because things were skewed too much towards folks who were already blessed, already lucky. And you take all that together and now you add it all up.

What we've seen is over the past 40 months, our businesses have created more than 7.2 million new jobs. This year, we're off to our strongest private sector job growth since 1999. (Applause.) Our exports have surged, so we sell more products made in America to the rest of the world than ever before. (Applause.) We produce more natural gas than any country on Earth. We’re about to produce more of our own oil than we buy from overseas, and that's the first time that's happened in nearly 20 years. (Applause.) The cost of health care is growing at its slowest rate in 50 years, so we're slowing the growth of health care costs. (Applause.) And our deficits are falling at the fastest rate in 60 years. (Applause.) Deficits have been cut by almost half from the time I took office.

So we did this together, because Americans are gritty and resilient and work hard. We've been able to clear away the rubble of the financial crisis. We're starting to lay a new foundation for more durable economic growth. And with the new revolutions in energy and technology and manufacturing and health care, we're actually poised -- we're in a position to reverse all those forces that battered middle-class families for too long. We can start building now an economy where everybody who works hard can get ahead. That's all good. That's the good news.

But, Missouri, I’m here to tell you what you already know, which is we're not there yet. In some ways, the trends that have been building for decades -- this winner-take-all economy where a few do better and better, but everybody else just treads water -- all those trends were made worse by the recession. And reversing these trends has to be Washington’s number one priority. (Applause.) It has to be Washington's number one priority. (Applause.)

Putting people back to work, making sure the economy is working for everybody, building the middle class, making sure they're secure -- that's my highest priority. That's what I'm interested in. (Applause.) Because when the economy is working for middle-class families, it solves an awful lot of other problems. Now the poor start having ladders of opportunity they can climb into if they work hard. A lot of the social tensions are reduced, because everybody is feeling pretty good.

Now, unfortunately, over the past couple of years in particular, Washington hasn’t just ignored this problem -- they've actually made it worse. And I am interested in working with everybody, and there are a bunch of not just Democrats, but also Republicans who recognize that Washington is not working. But we've also seen a group of folks, particularly in the House, a group of Republicans in Congress that -- they suggested they wouldn’t vote to pay the bills that Congress had already run up. And that fiasco harmed a fragile recovery back in 2011.

We've got a growing number of Republican senators who are trying to get things done with their Democratic counterparts -- just passed an immigration bill that economists say is going to boost our economy by more than a trillion dollars. (Applause.) But so far, at least, there's a faction of House Republicans who won't let the bill go to the floor for a vote. And if you ask them, well, okay, what's your economic agenda for the middle class, how are we going to grow our economy so everybody prospers, they'll start talking about out-of-control government spending -- although, as I said, government spending has actually gone down and deficits are going down -- or they'll talk about Obamacare, the whole idea that somehow if we don't provide health insurance to 50 million Americans that's going to improve the economy. Never mind the fact that our jobs growth is a lot faster now than it was during the last recovery when Obamacare wasn't around.

So we've got some basic challenges that we're just going to have to meet. We've cut our deficit. We're creating jobs at nearly twice the pace. We are providing health care for Americans that need it. But we now have to get back and focus on what's important. An endless parade of distractions and political posturing and phony scandals can't get in the way of what we need to do. (Applause.) And I'm here to say it's got to stop. We've got to focus on jobs and the economy, and helping middle-class families get ahead. And if we do that, we're going to solve a whole lot of problems. (Applause.)

And as we're thinking about these issues, we can't get involved in short-term thinking. We can't have all the same old debates. That's not what the moment requires. We've got to focus on the core economic issues that matter to you. And as Washington is now preparing for another debate about the budget, the stakes could not be higher. If we don't make the investments America needs to make this country a magnet for good jobs, if we don't make investments in education and manufacturing and science and research and transportation and information networks, we will be waving the white flag while other countries forge ahead in a global economy. (Applause.) If we just stand by and do nothing, we're saying it’s okay for middle-class folks to keep taking it on the chin. And I don't think it's okay.

And that's why I came here to Warrensburg today. I need you involved in this debate to remind Washington what’s at stake. And over the next several weeks, in towns just like this one, I’m going to lay out my ideas for how we build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class, what it takes to work your way into the middle class -- a good job with good wages in durable, growing industries; a good education for our kids and our workers; a home to call your own; affordable health care that’s there for you when you or your family members get sick -- (applause) -- a secure retirement even if you’re not rich -- (applause) -- more ladders of opportunity for people who want to earn their way into the middle class as long as they're willing to work for it.

And what we need what we need is not a three-month plan, or even a three-year plan -- we need a long-term plan based on steady, persistent effort to reverse the forces that have conspired against middle-class families for decades. And I am confident -- I know -- there are members of both parties who understand what’s at stake.

So I welcome ideas from anybody across the political spectrum. But I’m not going to allow gridlock or inaction or willful indifference to get in this country’s way. We’ve got to get moving. (Applause.)

So where I can act on my own, I’m going to. I’m not going to wait for Congress. (Applause.) Because the choices that we make now aren’t just going to determine what happens to the young people here at this school, it’s going to determine what happens to your kids and your grandkids. So one thing I really want to focus on here, because UCM is doing some extraordinary things, I want to focus on just briefly that second cornerstone -- an education that prepares our kids and our workers for the global competition that you’ll face. That is why I wanted to highlight what’s happening here at the University of Central Missouri, because you guys are doing some things right. (Applause.)

In an age where business knows no borders, jobs are going to seek out the countries that have the most talented, skilled citizens, and those are the folks who are going to make a good living. The days when the wages for a worker with a high-school degree could keep pace with the earnings of somebody with a college degree -- those days are over. You can see it all throughout the Midwest, where you’ve got folks who a generation ago could just walk into a factory or a plant, didn’t have a lot of skills, get trained on the job, make a good living, live out a middle-class life. That’s not going to happen anymore. Technology, global competition -- those things are not going away.

So we can either throw up our hands and resign ourselves to lower living standards, or we can do what America has always done -- we can adapt, we can pull together, we can fight back, we can win. (Applause.) And if we don’t invest in American education, then we’re going to put our kids, our workers, our countries, our businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Because if you think it’s -- if you think education is expensive, you should see how much ignorance is going to cost in the 21st century. It’s going to be expensive. (Applause.)

So what do we need to do on education? Number one, it’s got to start in the earliest years. And that means working with states to make high-quality preschool available for every four-year-old in America. (Applause.) Every study shows this is a smart investment, encourages healthy behaviors, increases our kids’ success in the classroom, increases their earning power as they grow up, reduces rates of teen pregnancy, reduces criminal behavior. It’s really important. And any working parent will tell you that knowing your kid is in a safe place to learn is a big relief, so it’s also important for the parents.

This idea of early childhood education, it shouldn’t be partisan. States with Republican governors are doing it just like a lot of Democratic governors are doing it. Our kids don’t care about politics. We should prove that we care about them and make this thing happen. And I am going to keep on pushing, as long as I am President, until we have a situation where every kid is getting a good, healthy start in life and are prepared when they go to school. (Applause.)

We’re going to take action on proven ideas to upgrade our schools that don’t require Congress. So for example, last month, I announced a goal of connecting 99 percent of America’s students to high-speed Internet within five years. We’re going ahead and taking steps for that to happen right now. Now, some of you may have gone to schools where you had internet in every classroom, but a lot of schools right now, they’ve got maybe a computer lab, but if you go in the classroom, kids, they don’t have it. In America, in this country, every child at every desk should have access to the entire world’s information, and every teacher should have the cutting-edge technology to help their kids succeed and learn. We’re going to make that happen. (Applause.)

We’ve got to rethink our high schools so that our kids graduate with the real-world skills that this new age demands. We’ve got to reward the schools that forge partnerships with local colleges and businesses, and that focus on the fields of the future like science and technology and math and engineering.

And I’m going to use the power of my office over the next few months to highlight a topic that affects probably everybody here, and that is the soaring cost of higher education. (Applause.)

Now, three years ago, I worked with Democrats to reform the student loan system so that taxpayer dollars weren’t going to pad the pockets of big banks, and instead were going to help students get a college education. So millions of students were helped by that. We took action to cap loan repayments at 10 percent of monthly incomes for responsible borrowers. A lot of young people don’t know this, but if you’ve taken out federal loans, then if you choose a job, let’s say, that doesn’t pay as much as you’d like or you deserve, if you’re a teacher or some other profession, you only have to pay 10 percent of your income, which means that you can afford to go to college and know that you’re not going to be broke when you graduate -- which is important. And not enough young people are using this. (Applause.)

As we speak -- and then, as we speak, we're working with both parties to reverse the doubling of student loan rates that happened a few weeks ago because Congress didn’t get its act together. We've got to get student loan rates -- interest rates back down. (Applause.)

So these are all good steps, but here's the problem -- and this is where what's happening at University of Central Missouri is so important. We can put more and more money into student loans, we can put more and more money into grants, but if college costs keep on going up, then there's never going to be enough money. I can keep student loan rates low, but if you're borrowing $80,000 for college, or $100,000 and you get out, it doesn’t matter whether interest rate is 3.5 or 8.5, you're still going to have trouble repaying it. It'll take you longer to buy a house. If you've got an idea for a business, it's going to take you longer to invest in starting your business.

So we've got to do something about college costs. Families and taxpayers can’t just keep paying more and more into an undisciplined system. We’ve got to get a better bang for our buck. (Applause.) So states have to do their part by prioritizing higher education in their budgets -- (applause) -- because part of the reason tuition has been skyrocketing is colleges aren't -- state-funded colleges aren't getting as much funding, and so then tuition is going up on the backs of students and families. But we've also got to test new ways of funding based not just on how many students enroll, but how well they do. And colleges have to do their part by keeping costs from going up.

So here at Central Missouri, you are a laboratory for this kind of innovation. I had a great discussion with not only the president of this university but also the superintendent of schools here, the head of the community colleges. What's happened at UCM is you've partnered with the Lee’s Summit School District, with the Metropolitan Community College, with local health care, engineering, energy, and infrastructure firms -- all industries that are going to drive job growth in the future -- and everybody is now working together to equip students with better skills, allow them to graduate faster with less debt, and with the certainty of being able to get a job at the other end. (Applause.) That's a recipe for success over the long term.

So we've got students at Summit Technology Academy -- (applause) -- there we go. Those students, they're beginning to accrue credits towards an associate’s degree while they’re still in high school, which means they can come here to earn a bachelor’s degree in two years and graduate debt free. (Applause.) Debt free, on a fast track. (Applause.)

And because the community colleges and industries are involved, students are making quicker decisions about the industries that are going to create jobs, and the businesses are helping to design the programs to make sure that they have the skills for those jobs so that not only are you graduating debt free, but you also know that you've got a job waiting for you on the other end. (Applause.)

Now, that is exactly the kind of innovation we need when it comes to college costs. That’s what's happening right here in Warrensburg. And I want the entire country to notice it, and I want other colleges to take a look at what's being done here. And I’ve asked my team to shake the trees all across the country for some of the best ideas out there for keeping college costs down, so that as students prepare to go back to school, I’m in a position to lay out what’s going to be an aggressive strategy to shake up the system to make sure that middle-class students, working-class students, poor kids who have the drive and the wherewithal and want to get a good college education, they can get it without basically mortgaging their entire future. We can make this happen but this is an example of the kind of thing we’ve got to focus on instead of a bunch of distractions in Washington. (Applause.)

Tackling college costs, creating more good jobs, establishing a better bargain for middle-class families and everybody trying to work to join into it, an economy that grows not from the top down but from the middle out -- that’s not just what I’m going to focus on for the next few months, that’s what I’m going to be focused on for the remainder of my presidency. And I’m going to take these plans all across the country, and I’m going to ask folks for help because, frankly, sometimes I just can’t wait for Congress. It just takes them a long time to decide on stuff. (Applause.)

So we’re going to reach out to CEOs and we’re going to reach out to workers, and we’re going to reach out to college presidents and we’re going to reach out to students. We’ll talk to Democrats and independents -- and, yes, I will be asking Republicans to get involved because this has to be our core project for the next decade.

I want to lay out my ideas to give the middle class a better shot in the 21st century. And look, I want Republicans to lay out their ideas. If they’ve got a better idea to bring down college costs that we haven’t thought of, let’s hear them. I’m ready to go. If they’ve got a better plan to make sure that every American knows the security of affordable health care, then please share it with the class. Raise your hand. (Applause.) But what you can’t do is just manufacture another crisis because you think it might be good politics, just as our economy is getting some traction. What you can’t do is shut down our government just because I’m for opening the government. (Applause.) You can’t threaten not to pay the bills this country racked up or to cut investments in education and science and basic research that are going to help us grow.

If we’re going to manage deficits and debt, let’s do it in a sensible way. We can do this if we work together. And it may seem hard right now, but if we’re willing to take a few bold steps -- if Washington will just shake off its complacency, set aside the kind of slash-and-burn partisanship that we’ve seen over the past few years -- I promise you, our economy will be stronger a year from now, just like it’s stronger now than it was last year. And then it will be stronger five years from now, and then it will be stronger 10 years from now. (Applause.) And more Americans will have the pride of a first paycheck. And more Americans will have the satisfaction of starting their own business and flipping that sign that says “open”. More folks will have the thrill of marching across the stage to earn a diploma from a university like this, and then know that they’ve got a job waiting for them when they graduate.

What makes us special -- a lot of times we talk about American exceptionalism and how much we love this country, and there are so many wonderful things about our country. But what makes us the envy of the world has not just been our ability to generate incredible wealth for a few people; it’s the fact that we’ve given everybody a chance to pursue their own true measure of happiness. (Applause.) That’s who we are.

We haven’t just wanted success for ourselves; we want it for our neighbors. We want it for our neighborhoods. That’s why we don’t call it Bob’s dream or Barbara’s dream or Barack’s dream -- we call it the American Dream. (Applause.) It’s one that we share. That's who we are -- the idea that no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, who you love, you can make it here in America if you’re trying hard. (Applause.)

That’s what a college education can be all about. That’s what inspires your President, that’s what inspires the faculty. That’s why when we see young people like you, we’re inspired -- because you’re an expression of that idea. And we’ve got to make sure that that continues -- not just for this generation, but for the next generation.

And I’ve got a hundred -- I’ve got 1,267 days left in my presidency. And I’m going to spend every minute, every second, as long as I have the privilege of being in this office, making sure that I am doing every single thing that I can so that middle-class families, working families, people who are out there struggling every single day -- that they know that that work can lead them to a better place. And we’re going to make sure that that American Dream is available for everybody, not just now, but in the future. (Applause.)

So thank you, Missouri. Thank you, UCM. Thank you, Mules. Thank you, Jennies. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Let’s get to work. (Applause.)

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A passionate, personal case for education

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Obama's Remarks On Education

By Brian Montopoli

March 10, 2009 / 10:14 AM EDT / CBS News

In a wide-ranging speech, he called for more time in the classroom, "whether during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it."

"…we will end what has become a race to the bottom in our schools and instead, spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments," he said. "This is an area where we are being outpaced by other nations. It's not that their kids are any smarter than ours – it's that they are being smarter about how to educate their kids."

"They are spending less time teaching things that don't matter, and more time teaching things that do," the president continued. "They are preparing their students not only for high school or college, but for a career. We are not. Our curriculum for eighth graders is two full years behind top performing countries. That is a prescription for economic decline. I refuse to accept that America's children cannot rise to this challenge. They can, they must, and they will meet higher standards in our time."

President Obama's full remarks, as provided by the White House, are below.

PRESIDENT OBAMA : Thank you. (Applause.) Si se puede.

AUDIENCE: Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, everybody have a seat. Thank you for the wonderful introduction, David. And thank you for the great work that you are doing each and every day. And I appreciate such a warm welcome. Some of you I've gotten a chance to know; many of you I'm meeting for the first time. But the spirit of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the desire to create jobs and provide opportunity to people who sometimes have been left out -- that's exactly what this administration is about. That's the essence of the American Dream. And so I'm very proud to have a chance to speak with all of you.

You know, every so often, throughout our history, a generation of Americans bears the responsibility of seeing this country through difficult times and protecting the dream of its founding for posterity. This is a responsibility that's fallen to our generation. Meeting it will require steering our nation's economy through a crisis unlike anything that we have seen in our time.

In the short term, that means jump-starting job creation and restarting lending, and restoring confidence in our markets and our financial system. But it also means taking steps that not only advance our recovery, but lay the foundation for lasting, shared prosperity.

I know there's some who believe we can only handle one challenge at a time. And they forget that Lincoln helped lay down the transcontinental railroad and passed the Homestead Act and created the National Academy of Sciences in the midst of civil war. Likewise, President Roosevelt didn't have the luxury of choosing between ending a depression and fighting a war; he had to do both. President Kennedy didn't have the luxury of choosing between civil rights and sending us to the moon. And we don't have the luxury of choosing between getting our economy moving now and rebuilding it over the long term.

America will not remain true to its highest ideals -- and America's place as a global economic leader will be put at risk -- unless we not only bring down the crushing cost of health care and transform the way we use energy, but also if we do -- if we don't do a far better job than we've been doing of educating our sons and daughters; unless we give them the knowledge and skills they need in this new and changing world.

For we know that economic progress and educational achievement have always gone hand in hand in America. The land-grant colleges and public high schools transformed the economy of an industrializing nation. The GI Bill generated a middle class that made America's economy unrivaled in the 20th century. Investments in math and science under President Eisenhower gave new opportunities to young scientists and engineers all across the country. It made possible somebody like a Sergei Brin to attend graduate school and found an upstart company called Google that would forever change our world.

The source of America's prosperity has never been merely how ably we accumulate wealth, but how well we educate our people. This has never been more true than it is today. In a 21st-century world where jobs can be shipped wherever there's an Internet connection, where a child born in Dallas is now competing with a child in New Delhi, where your best job qualification is not what you do, but what you know -- education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it's a prerequisite for success.

That's why workers without a four-year degree have borne the brunt of recent layoffs, Latinos most of all. That's why, of the 30 fastest growing occupations in America, half require a Bachelor's degree or more. By 2016, four out of every 10 new jobs will require at least some advanced education or training.

So let there be no doubt: The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens -- and my fellow Americans, we have everything we need to be that nation. We have the best universities, the most renowned scholars. We have innovative principals and passionate teachers and gifted students, and we have parents whose only priority is their child's education. We have a legacy of excellence, and an unwavering belief that our children should climb higher than we did.

And yet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we've let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us. Let me give you a few statistics. In 8th grade math, we've fallen to 9th place. Singapore's middle-schoolers outperform ours three to one. Just a third of our 13- and 14-year-olds can read as well as they should. And year after year, a stubborn gap persists between how well white students are doing compared to their African American and Latino classmates. The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, it's unsustainable for our democracy, it's unacceptable for our children -- and we can't afford to let it continue.

What's at stake is nothing less than the American Dream. It's what drew my father and so many of your fathers and mothers to our shores in pursuit of an education. It's what led Linda Brown and Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez to bear the standard of all who were attending separate and unequal schools. It's what has led generations of Americans to take on that extra job, to sacrifice the small pleasures, to scrimp and save wherever they can, in hopes of putting away enough, just enough, to give their child the education that they never had. It's that most American of ideas, that with the right education, a child of any race, any faith, any station, can overcome whatever barriers stand in their way and fulfill their God-given potential. (Applause.)

Of course, we've heard all this year after year after year after year -- and far too little has changed. Certainly it hasn't changed in too many overcrowded Latino schools; it hasn't changed in too many inner-city schools that are seeing dropout rates of over 50 percent. It's not changing not because we're lacking sound ideas or sensible plans -- in pockets of excellence across this country, we're seeing what children from all walks of life can and will achieve when we set high standards, have high expectations, when we do a good job of preparing them. Instead, it's because politics and ideology have too often trumped our progress that we're in the situation that we're in.

For decades, Washington has been trapped in the same stale debates that have paralyzed progress and perpetuated our educational decline. Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom. Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its importance. So what we get here in Washington is the same old debate about it's more money versus more reform, vouchers versus the status quo. There's been partisanship and petty bickering, but little recognition that we need to move beyond the worn fights of the 20th century if we're going to succeed in the 21st century. (Applause.)

I think you'd all agree that the time for finger-pointing is over. The time for holding us -- holding ourselves accountable is here. What's required is not simply new investments, but new reforms. It's time to expect more from our students. It's time to start rewarding good teachers, stop making excuses for bad ones. It's time to demand results from government at every level. It's time to prepare every child, everywhere in America, to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world. (Applause.) It's time to give all Americans a complete and competitive education from the cradle up through a career. We've accepted failure for far too long. Enough is enough. America's entire education system must once more be the envy of the world -- and that's exactly what we intend to do.

That's exactly what the budget I'm submitting to Congress has begun to achieve. Now, at a time when we've inherited a trillion-dollar deficit, we will start by doing a little housekeeping, going through our books, cutting wasteful education programs. My outstanding Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who's here today -- stand up, Arne, so everybody can see you. (Applause.) I'm assuming you also saw my Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis. (Applause.) But Secretary Duncan will use only one test when deciding what ideas to support with your precious tax dollars: It's not whether an idea is liberal or conservative, but whether it works. And this will help free up resources for the first pillar of reforming our schools -- investing in early childhood initiatives.

This isn't just about keeping an eye on our children, it's about educating them. Studies show that children in early childhood education programs are more likely to score higher in reading and math, more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, more likely to hold a job, and more likely to earn more in that job. For every dollar we invest in these programs, we get nearly $10 back in reduced welfare rolls, fewer health care costs, and less crime. That's why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that I signed into law invests $5 billion in growing Early Head Start and Head Start, expanding access to quality child care for 150,000 more children from working families, and doing more for children with special needs. And that's why we are going to offer 55,000 first-time parents regular visits from trained nurses to help make sure their children are healthy and prepare them for school and for life. (Applause.)

Even as we invest in early childhood education, let's raise the bar for early learning programs that are falling short. Now, today, some children are enrolled in excellent programs. Some children are enrolled in mediocre programs. And some are wasting away their most formative years in bad programs. That includes the one-fourth of all children who are Hispanic, and who will drive America's workforce of tomorrow, but who are less likely to have been enrolled in an early childhood education program than anyone else.

That's why I'm issuing a challenge to our states: Develop a cutting-edge plan to raise the quality of your early learning programs; show us how you'll work to ensure that children are better prepared for success by the time they enter kindergarten. If you do, we will support you with an Early Learning Challenge Grant that I call on Congress to enact. That's how we will reward quality and incentivize excellence, and make a down payment on the success of the next generation.

So that's the first pillar of our education reform agenda. The second, we will end what has become a race to the bottom in our schools and instead spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments. Now, this is an area where we are being outpaced by other nations. It's not that their kids are any smarter than ours -- it's that they are being smarter about how to educate their children. They're spending less time teaching things that don't matter, and more time teaching things that do. They're preparing their students not only for high school or college, but for a career. We are not. Our curriculum for 8th graders is two full years behind top performing countries. That's a prescription for economic decline. And I refuse to accept that America's children cannot rise to this challenge. They can, and they must, and they will meet higher standards in our time. (Applause.)

So let's challenge our states -- let's challenge our states to adopt world-class standards that will bring our curriculums to the 21st century. Today's system of 50 different sets of benchmarks for academic success means 4th grade readers in Mississippi are scoring nearly 70 points lower than students in Wyoming -- and they're getting the same grade. Eight of our states are setting their standards so low that their students may end up on par with roughly the bottom 40 percent of the world.

That's inexcusable. That's why I'm calling on states that are setting their standards far below where they ought to be to stop low-balling expectations for our kids. The solution to low test scores is not lowering standards -- it's tougher, clearer standards. (Applause.) Standards like those in Massachusetts, where 8th graders are -- (applause) -- we have a Massachusetts contingent here. (Laughter.) In Massachusetts, 8th graders are now tying for first -- first in the whole world in science. Other forward-thinking states are moving in the same direction by coming together as part of a consortium. And more states need to do the same. And I'm calling on our nation's governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.

That is what we'll help them do later this year -- that what we're going to help them do later this year when we finally make No Child Left Behind live up to its name by ensuring not only that teachers and principals get the funding that they need, but that the money is tied to results. (Applause.) And Arne Duncan will also back up this commitment to higher standards with a fund to invest in innovation in our school districts.

Of course, raising standards alone will not make much of a difference unless we provide teachers and principals with the information they need to make sure students are prepared to meet those standards. And far too few states have data systems like the one in Florida that keep track of a student's education from childhood through college. And far too few districts are emulating the example of Houston and Long Beach, and using data to track how much progress a student is making and where that student is struggling. That's a resource that can help us improve student achievement, and tell us which students had which teachers so we can assess what's working and what's not. That's why we're making a major investment in this area that we will cultivate a new culture of accountability in America's schools.

Now, to complete our race to the top requires the third pillar of reform -- recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers. From the moment students enter a school, the most important factor in their success is not the color of their skin or the income of their parents, it's the person standing at the front of the classroom. That's why our Recovery Act will ensure that hundreds of thousands of teachers and school personnel are not laid off -- because those Americans are not only doing jobs they can't afford to lose, they're rendering a service our nation cannot afford to lose, either. (Applause.)

America's future depends on its teachers. And so today, I'm calling on a new generation of Americans to step forward and serve our country in our classrooms. If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make the most of your talents and dedication, if you want to make your mark with a legacy that will endure -- then join the teaching profession. America needs you. We need you in our suburbs. We need you in our small towns. We especially need you in our inner cities. We need you in classrooms all across our country.

And if you do your part, then we'll do ours. That's why we're taking steps to prepare teachers for their difficult responsibilities, and encourage them to stay in the profession. That's why we're creating new pathways to teaching and new incentives to bring teachers to schools where they're needed most. That's why we support offering extra pay to Americans who teach math and science to end a teacher shortage in those subjects. It's why we're building on the promising work being done in places like South Carolina's Teachers Advancement Program, and making an unprecedented commitment to ensure that anyone entrusted with educating our children is doing the job as well as it can be done.

Now, here's what that commitment means: It means treating teachers like the professionals they are while also holding them more accountable -– in up to 150 more school districts. New teachers will be mentored by experienced ones. Good teachers will be rewarded with more money for improved student achievement, and asked to accept more responsibilities for lifting up their schools. Teachers throughout a school will benefit from guidance and support to help them improve.

And just as we've given our teachers all the support they need to be successful, we need to make sure our students have the teacher they need to be successful. And that means states and school districts taking steps to move bad teachers out of the classroom. But let me be clear -- (applause.) Let me be clear -- the overwhelming number of teachers are doing an outstanding job under difficult circumstances. My sister is a teacher, so I know how tough teaching can be. But let me be clear: If a teacher is given a chance or two chances or three chances but still does not improve, there's no excuse for that person to continue teaching. I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences. The stakes are too high. We can afford nothing but the best when it comes to our children's teachers and the schools where they teach. (Applause.)

Now, that leads me to the fourth part of America's education strategy –- promoting innovation and excellence in America's schools. One of the places where much of that innovation occurs is in our most effective charter schools. And these are public schools founded by parents, teachers, and civic or community organizations with broad leeway to innovate -– schools I supported as a state legislator and a United States senator.

But right now, there are many caps on how many charter schools are allowed in some states, no matter how well they're preparing our students. That isn't good for our children, our economy, or our country. Of course, any expansion of charter schools must not result in the spread of mediocrity, but in the advancement of excellence. And that will require states adopting both a rigorous selection and review process to ensure that a charter school's autonomy is coupled with greater accountability –- as well as a strategy, like the one in Chicago, to close charter schools that are not working. Provided this greater accountability, I call on states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place.

Now, even as we foster innovation in where our children are learning, let's also foster innovation in when our children are learning. We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed for when America was a nation of farmers who needed their children at home plowing the land at the end of each day. That calendar may have once made sense, but today it puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Our children -- listen to this -- our children spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea -- every year. That's no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy. That's why I'm calling for us not only to expand effective after-school programs, but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time -– whether during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it. (Applause.)

Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas. (Laughter.) Not with Malia and Sasha -- (laughter) -- not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom. If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America.

Of course, no matter how innovative our schools or how effective our teachers, America cannot succeed unless our students take responsibility for their own education. That means showing up for school on time, paying attention in class, seeking out extra tutoring if it's needed, staying out of trouble. To any student who's watching, I say this: Don't even think about dropping out of school. Don't even think about it. (Applause.)

As I said a couple of weeks ago, dropping out is quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country, and it's not an option -- not anymore. Not when our high school dropout rate has tripled in the past 30 years. Not when high school dropouts earn about half as much as college graduates. Not when Latino students are dropping out faster than just about anyone else. It's time for all of us, no matter what our backgrounds, to come together and solve this epidemic.

Stemming the tide of dropouts will require turning around our low-performing schools. Just 2,000 high schools in cities like Detroit and Los Angeles and Philadelphia produce over 50 percent of America's dropouts. And yet there are too few proven strategies to transform these schools. And there are too few partners to get the job done.

So today, I'm issuing a challenge to educators and lawmakers, parents and teachers alike: Let us all make turning around our schools our collective responsibility as Americans. And that will require new investments in innovative ideas -- that's why my budget invests in developing new strategies to make sure at-risk students don't give up on their education; new efforts to give dropouts who want to return to school the help they need to graduate; and new ways to put those young men and women who have left school back on a pathway to graduation.

Now, the fifth part of America's education strategy is providing every American with a quality higher education -– whether it's college or technical training. Never has a college degree been more important. Never has it been more expensive. And at a time when so many of our families are bearing enormous economic burdens, the rising cost of tuition threatens to shatter dreams. And that's why we will simplify federal college assistance forms so it doesn't take a Ph.D to apply for financial aid. (Applause.)

That's why we're already taking steps to make college or technical training affordable. For the first time ever, Pell Grants will not be subject to the politics of the moment or the whim of the market –- they will be a commitment that Congress is required to uphold each and every year. (Applause.) Not only that; because rising costs mean Pell Grants cover less than half as much tuition as they did 30 years ago, we're raising the maximum Pell Grant to $5,550 a year and indexing it above inflation. We're also providing a $2,500-a-year tuition tax credit for students from working families. And we're modernizing and expanding the Perkins Loan Program to make sure schools like UNLV don't get a tenth as many Perkins loans as schools like Harvard.

To help pay for all of this, we're putting students ahead of lenders by eliminating wasteful student loan subsidies that cost taxpayers billions each year. All in all, we are making college affordable for 7 million more students with a sweeping investment in our children's futures and America's success. And I call on Congress to join me and the American people by making these investments possible. (Applause.)

This is how we will help meet our responsibility as a nation to open the doors of college to every American. But it will also be the responsibility of colleges and universities to control spiraling costs. We can't just keep on putting more money in and universities and colleges not doing their part to hold down tuitions. And it's the responsibility of our students to walk through the doors of opportunity.

In just a single generation, America has fallen from 2nd place to 11th place in the portion of students completing college. That is unfortunate, but it's by no means irreversible. With resolve and the right investments, we can retake the lead once more. And that's why, in my address to the nation the other week, I called on Americans to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training, with the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020. And to meet that goal, we are investing $2.5 billion to identify and support innovative initiatives across the country that achieve results in helping students persist and graduate.

So let's not stop at education with college. Let's recognize a 21st century reality: Learning doesn't end in our early 20s. Adults of all ages need opportunities to earn new degrees and new skills -- especially in the current economic environment. That means working with all our universities and schools, including community colleges -- a great and undervalued asset -- to prepare workers for good jobs in high-growth industries; and to improve access to job training not only for young people who are just starting their careers, but for older workers who need new skills to change careers. And that's going to be one of the key tasks that Secretary Solis is involved with, is making sure that lifelong learning is a reality and a possibility for more Americans.

It's through initiatives like these that we'll see more Americans earn a college degree, or receive advanced training, and pursue a successful career. And that's why I'm calling on Congress to work with me to enact these essential reforms, and to reauthorize the Workforce Reinvestment Act. That's how we will round out a complete and competitive education in the United States of America.

So here's the bottom line: Yes, we need more money; yes, we need more reform; yes, we need to hold ourselves more accountable for every dollar we spend. But there's one more ingredient I want to talk about. No government policy will make any difference unless we also hold ourselves more accountable as parents -- because government, no matter how wise or efficient, cannot turn off the TV or put away the video games. Teachers, no matter how dedicated or effective, cannot make sure your child leaves for school on time and does their homework when they get back at night. These are things only a parent can do. These are things that our parents must do.

I say this not only as a father, but also as a son. When I was a child my mother and I lived overseas, and she didn't have the money to send me to the fancy international school where all the American kids went to school. So what she did was she supplemented my schooling with lessons from a correspondence course. And I can still picture her waking me up at 4:30 a.m., five days a week, to go over some lessons before I went to school. And whenever I'd complain and grumble and find some excuse and say, "Awww, I'm sleepy," she'd patiently repeat to me her most powerful defense. She'd say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster." (Laughter and applause.)

And when you're a kid you don't think about the sacrifices they're making. She had to work; I just had to go to school. But she'd still wake up every day to make sure I was getting what I needed for my education. And it's because she did this day after day, week after week, because of all the other opportunities and breaks that I got along the way, all the sacrifices that my grandmother and my grandfather made along the way, that I can stand here today as President of the United States. It's because of the sacrifices -- (applause.) See, I want every child in this country to have the same chance that my mother gave me, that my teachers gave me, that my college professors gave me, that America gave me.

You know these stories; you've lived them, as well. All of you have a similar story to tell. You know, it's -- I want children like Yvonne Bojorquez to have that chance. Yvonne is a student at Village Academy High School in California. Now, Village Academy is a 21st century school where cutting edge technologies are used in the classroom, where college prep and career training are offered to all who seek it, and where the motto is "respect, responsibility, and results."

Now, a couple of months ago, Yvonne and her class made a video talking about the impact that our struggling economy was having on their lives. And some of them spoke about their parents being laid off, or their homes facing foreclosure, or their inability to focus on school with everything that was happening at home. And when it was her turn to speak, Yvonne said: "We've all been affected by this economic crisis. [We] are all college bound students; we're all businessmen, and doctors and lawyers and all this great stuff. And we have all this potential -- but the way things are going, we're not going to be able to [fulfill it]."

It was heartbreaking that a girl so full of promise was so full of worry that she and her class titled their video, "Is anybody listening?" So, today, there's something I want to say to Yvonne and her class at Village Academy: I am listening. We are listening. America is listening. (Applause.) And we will not rest until your parents can keep your jobs -- we will not rest until your parents can keep their jobs and your families can keep their homes, and you can focus on what you should be focusing on -- your own education; until you can become the businessmen, doctors, and lawyers of tomorrow, until you can reach out and grasp your dreams for the future.

For in the end, Yvonne's dream is a dream shared by all Americans. It's the founding promise of our nation: That we can make of our lives what we will; that all things are possible for all people; and that here in America, our best days lie ahead. I believe that. I truly believe if I do my part, and you, the American people, do yours, then we will emerge from this crisis a stronger nation, and pass the dream of our founding on to posterity, ever safer than before. (Applause.)

Brian Montopoli is the national reporter and political analyst for CBSNews.com.

More from CBS News

Jul 13, 2020

Michelle Obama Speech Transcript on the Importance of Educating Girls & Gender Equality

Michelle Obama’s Special Message to 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit

Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama gave a virtual video speech on July 13 to the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit attendees. Read the full transcript of her video message here.

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Michelle Obama: ( 00:00 ) Hi, everyone. I wish we could be together sharing hugs and laughs in person, but I am so thankful that Girl Up has found a way to keep us connected and celebrate the power of girls all over the world.

Michelle Obama: ( 00:14 ) Over these past few months, there’s been so much uncertainty. You all are dealing with serious loss in your own families and abrupt changes to your daily lives, especially when it comes to your education. But you all have shown incredible resilience in difficult circumstances before. Your determination over so many years has already helped countless girls create a brighter future for themselves and their families. And this pandemic has only shown that your efforts are even more important right now.

Michelle Obama: ( 00:49 ) We know from past crises like Ebola, that the struggles that many girls already face are worsened in times like these: violence at home, child marriage and teen pregnancy, economic hardship, and caretaking responsibilities within families. Challenges like these are made even more stark in times of crisis; and that, of course, includes education.

Michelle Obama: ( 01:17 ) The Malala Fund predicts that when students are eventually allowed back into their classrooms, an additional 10 million girls of secondary school age could remain out of school. And we can’t let that happen. We can’t let these girls be forgotten during this crisis. The stakes are just too high. Because when we give girls the chance to learn, we give them the opportunity to fulfill their potential, build healthier families and contribute to their country’s economies for generations to come.

Michelle Obama: ( 01:52 ) That’s why we started the Girls Opportunity Alliance at the Obama Foundation. Because we believe that the millions of adolescent girls around the world who aren’t in school today can make a profound difference for their families, their communities, and our entire world; but, only if they have the opportunity and the education to get it done.

Michelle Obama: ( 02:19 ) I know that all of you believe that too. And that’s why we are excited to work hand-in-hand with each and every one of you. And you can start by joining me in spreading the word about global girls education with the hashtag #GirlsOpportunityAlliance.

Michelle Obama: ( 02:37 ) I’ve already seen your ability to create change all over the world. Girl Up clubs have stepped up in incredible, inspiring ways during the pandemic from making face masks for their communities in Mexico, to setting up online learning platforms in Malawi. With every action you take, you’re proving that you’re not just the leaders of tomorrow, you’re already the leaders of today.

Michelle Obama: ( 03:04 ) So thank you again. Thank you for everything you’re doing. I can’t wait to see how you’ll come together to change the world and help all girls fulfill their boundless promise. Have a great summit. See you.

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Obama’s Education Policy

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, jonathan martin , jm jonathan martin bob l. schieffer , and bls bob l. schieffer grover j. “russ” whitehurst grover j. “russ” whitehurst former brookings expert.

March 13, 2009

Russ Whitehurst joined Politico’s Jonathan Martin and CBS News’ Bob Schieffer on Washington Unplugged to talk about the politics behind President Obama’s education policy

Bob Schieffer, CBS News: So President Obama made a big speech on education this week and here to talk about it is Russ Whitehurst, who is the chief of education policy at Brookings. Before that, he was at the Department of Education and Jonathan Martin of Politico .

Russ, first, controversial speech really when you stop and think about what the President said. He came out for all things, merit pay, which a lot of people were for but most of the teachers union were against.

Russ Whitehurst: That’s right, I think the National Education Association must have lost a little sleep over that speech. So the response has been muted so far. He also strongly endorsed charter schools which are radical in a way as well. So, he hit a lot of issues that I think are interesting and important, certainly good to have a President using the bully pulpit to advance education if you are interested in education reform.

Schieffer: What can the President really do because most education is at the local level, it’s funded by local taxes and so forth.

Whitehurst: President and the Secretary of Education have a tremendous amount of money to dole out under the stimulus bill and portions of that are at the Secretary of Education’s discretion. So he can use that lever to move education forward if he wishes to.

Schieffer : Jonathan, what about the politics of all of this?

Jonathan Martin : Well, I was really struck by some of his rhetoric Bob. The fact is that this a Democratic President up there giving his first education speech and talking about not standing for failing teachers being in schools. The teacher’s unions provide key foot soldiers and money to Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. I think in 2004, one out of every ten delegates to the Democratic convention was a member of a teacher’s union. So it was striking, but there was some good groundwork laid out by the White House. My reporter turned up at the AFT and NEA had both gotten phone calls from the White House in advance, giving them a heads up as to hey, this was coming, this is what he’s going to say. So they kind of knew that this was going to happen. But his language was far more confrontational on the issue than it was during the course of the campaign, where he was always a little more muted as far as talking about teachers.

Schieffer : Where you surprised Russ?

Whitehurst: I was surprised particularly by the rhetoric. You may remember that he was booed at the NEA convention when he mentioned merit pay. And yet there was really no equivocation on that issue in his speech this week.

Schieffer : Why would teachers be against merit pay?

Whitehurst: Well, it’s an interesting question because in the rest of the world, merit pay is part of the way people do their work and get compensated. I think the system is ripe for change and I think younger teachers are interested in merit pay. I think the whole compensation system has to be changed if we want to have the best and brightest come in teaching.

Watch the full interview »

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Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Obama’s Speech on Education

Post author: Lisa A. Mazzie
Post published: September 8, 2009
Post category: Media & Journalism / Political Processes & Rhetoric / Uncategorized
Post comments: 4 Comments

As I read the text of President Obama’s speech , I find it hard to discern “socialist ideology” or even “paid political advertising.” (Let us remember that pretty much everyone to whom his remarks are addressed is unable to vote!) His remarks seem more “Republican” than not. The themes of personal responsibility and hard work pervade the speech. He says, “But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities”? He exhorts students to avoid making excuses about their role in their education. “[T]he circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. . . . That’s no excuse for not trying.” And he reminds students that success is hard work and that they should learn from their failures. “[Y]ou can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you.”

How could any parent find fault in such advice? Is it simply because the messenger is from a different political party or is it something else entirely? Barack Obama is the president of the United States. A demanding job, to be sure, but also a job that is heavy with symbolism. There shouldn’t be anything inherently political in the simple fact that the county’s figurehead wishes to press upon the country’s future – its school children – that they ought to do their best in school and work hard.

Best of the blogs, gender and asylum: reforming u.s. law; and recognizing the difficulty of internal relocation for women, this post has 4 comments.

As someone who disagrees highly with many of President Obama’s policies, I still see nothing wrong with him making such an address. Granted, he -could- have done some very inappropriate things with a captive and suggestible audience, but I never spent a serious moment worrying that he would, and won’t go analyzing his speech word by word to try and find some hidden brain-washing.

That so many people would do both or either of these things leads me to believe much of “the right” has decided to descend to the base level of irrational hatred that they saw from much of “the left” during the later Bush years.

Agreed, but there is a little more to be said.

Although I had no objection to the speech, I tried to explain the apprehension of some conservatives on On fairness to critics, they did not have the text of the speech and their concerns or objections were fed by the administration’s lesson plan which suggested that the speech would be personalized in a way that is, I think, inappropriate for such things.

It is also the case that, when George H.W. Bush delivered a similar speech, Democrats objected and called for an investigation. Such is our politics.

Having said that, I believe that the speech was within the unspoken etiquette governing apolitical speeches by a President and I agree with Lisa. No one should object to it.

I can say without question that Obama’s ’04 convention speech has had a substantially positive effect on my life. My Republican father wouldn’t contest that fact, nor did he object (too much) to the fact I was watching the Democratic convention to begin with, nor did he contest my sending him the full text of that speech the day after it was made. (His comment: “Man, he’s good. He should be a Republican!”) Funny that this man’s ability to inspire is viciously attacked, and yet in him there lies so much potential to produce the nation’s leaders of tomorrow. Or am I evidence proving these fearful parents’ concerns? By being inspired, of all things!

Here’s to the world Obama described way back in Oh-Four, here’s to the idealists–left and right, here’s to belief in a world of productive partisanship! They say they deliver us the news we crave. Well, let’s challenge our media not just to copy and paste the stale left/right story line! Let’s make new, brighter and better stories.

Gay actor's speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his 'lifestyle'

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — A gay actor’s speech that was canceled over his “lifestyle” is back on at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out.

The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow children’s book author Maulik Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School. The board voted after hearing from residents, including more than a dozen students.

The board on April 15 unanimously canceled Pancholy’s talk after a board member cited concerns about what he described as the actor’s activism and “lifestyle.” Some board members also noted the district enacted a policy about not hosting overtly political events after it was criticized for hosting a Donald Trump rally during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Some community members said the cancellation was ill-advised and sent a hurtful message, especially to the LGBTQ+ community, and Superintendent Mark Blanchard and other district leaders sent a letter to the board, faculty and staff asserting that Pancholy’s speech should have been allowed.

The education officials said they were not given “a real opportunity” by the board to answer questions or provide guidance about the event, which they said was aimed at reinforcing the importance of treating all people equally.

Pancholy, 48, is an award-winning actor, including for his roles on the television shows “30 Rock” and “Weeds,” and as the voice of Baljeet in the Disney animated series, “Phineas & Ferb.” He also has written children’s books and in 2014 was named by then-President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, where he co-founded a campaign to combat AAPI bullying.

Pancholy’s appearance was scheduled by the school’s leadership team, which each year selects an author to present a “unique educational experience for students,” according to the district.

At the April 15 meeting, school board members said they did not know what Pancholy would talk about, but one member said he didn’t “want to run the risk” of what it might entail.

“If you research this individual, he labels himself as an activist,” Bud Shaffner said, according to Pennlive. “He is proud of his lifestyle, and I don’t think that should be imposed upon our students, at any age.”

The Associated Press sent an email to Pancholy’s publicists Thursday seeking comment on the board’s decision to reverse itself.

In a statement posted on social media after the initial board vote, Pancholy had said that as a middle school student he never saw himself represented in stories, and that books featuring South Asian-American or LGBTQ+ characters “didn’t exist.” When he started writing his own novels years later, he was still hard-pressed to find those stories, he said.

“It’s why I wrote my books in the first place,” Pancholy wrote. “Because representation matters.”

Pancholy said his school visits are meant “to let all young people know that they’re seen. To let them know that they matter.”

The Associated Press

How Columbia University became the epicenter of disagreement over the Israel-Hamas war

A history of protests, a widely diverse population and a newly minted president have ripened the conditions for campus strife at columbia..

Americans disagree vehemently about the Israel-Hamas war. The conflict has divided friends and strained families , become a third rail in the workplace, and poses a serious political problem for President Joe Biden.

Over the past week, all that roiling discord seems to have focused with laser-like precision on one place: Columbia University in New York City.

The Ivy League school’s lush campus on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is known for many things. It’s where the popular TV show “Gossip Girl” was often filmed . It’s where Barack Obama finished his bachelor's degree and Hillary Clinton is now a professor . It even has a Donald Trump connection (Trump once called the university’s former president a “ moron ” for refusing to buy land from him for a new campus).

And when law enforcement arrested more than 100 protesters on campus last week, a day after the university's president testified in Washington about her handling of a spike in antisemitism, it recalled an era of foment in the late '60s that put the school on the national map.

The tumult on the New York City campus is more than just a political spectacle, though. It has become a microcosm of the intractable challenges facing higher education in the 21st century – from managing political interference to balancing freedom of speech with a need to keep students and staff safe.

It's not a shock Columbia has become a focal point for campus strife. The school is based in the largest U.S. city, with the second-biggest Jewish population in the world after Tel Aviv. About a fifth of the country's Muslim population is in New York City, too. The campus is easily accessible and open, a vestige of the political upheaval caused by students during the Vietnam War.

Columbia has taken flak for years from progressives who view its growth into West Harlem as an example of gentrification, and conservatives who see it as a bastion of liberalism.

All those factors have influenced the level of outrage on and around campus in recent weeks. As similar protests crop up at other universities, the demonstrations at Columbia – and the choices its leaders are making – are having a butterfly effect on schools nationwide.

“I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus,” Minouche Shafik, the university's president, wrote in a message to students and staff Monday morning. “Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm.”

What happened?

On Wednesday, Shafik traveled to Washington to address Republicans who had called her to a hearing about antisemitism on Columbia’s campus.

Columbia University president testifies: Minouche Shafik fends off questions that took down her Ivy League peers

Flanked by other administrators, she fended off a salvo of tough questions from Republicans and Democrats alike, many of whom expressed dismay about reports that Jewish students have felt unsafe since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel Oct. 7. Grilling from those same lawmakers tripped up the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania at a similar proceeding in December, ultimately pushing them out of their posts.

Shafik managed to dodge the mistakes of her peers but drew the ire of many Columbia faculty with her responses to questions from some politicians about individual professors whom lawmakers singled out.

“People feel extraordinarily betrayed by her lack of following university protocol,” said Patricia Dailey, an associate English professor and vice president of Columbia's chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “She’s caved already to the ways in which this discourse is framed.”

Things only got more hectic from there. While the cameras were trained on Shafik in Washington, students set up camps on lawns at the center of campus, demanding the university sever all its ties to Israel.

The next morning, Shafik called in the New York City Police Department to clear out the demonstrators. Officers arrested more than 100 people. Law enforcement officials later said no injuries or violence were associated with that specific protest, according to the campus newspaper , the Columbia Daily Spectator.

Tempers flared on the edges of the partially closed campus as rallies continued over the weekend. By Monday the White House had jumped into the fray, condemning reports of antisemitic rhetoric around the campus. A university rabbi warned Jewish students to stay home for their safety, though the campus Hillel chapter disagreed with that recommendation. All classes were held online Monday.

By then, students at a growing number of universities across the country, including Harvard, Yale and the University of California, Berkeley, were taking their cues from Columbia, launching similar protests in solidarity.

History of protests

Colleges and universities have long been hotbeds for activism, playing an important role in shaping public sentiment on controversial issues. At Columbia, campus activism has a particularly contentious history.

In 1968, massive student demonstrations threw the campus into violence and chaos. Anger over the university’s ties to the Vietnam War, and its plans to build what would effectively have been a segregated school gym on public land, led to hundreds of arrests. In the end, administrators ended the school’s relationship with a war-connected think tank. Construction on the gym was halted. The 1968 protests altered administrators' attitudes about Columbia's relationship with the city, creating an impulse that persists today to make the campus feel open to the broader community.

It took Columbia decades to recover its reputation and its endowment. The fallout from the upheaval sent the university into a financial tailspin, souring relationships with rich donors.

Some New Yorkers still haven't forgotten the episode.

Outside the school’s gates Monday, a 70-year-old Columbia alum who identified herself by her first name, Daphne, held a sign that read, “50 years ago I was here to end the Vietnam War … Today I am here to say FREE PALESTINE!” She declined to give her full name because she said she feared being doxxed.

New to the job

Like the now-former presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, Shafik is new to her job. She took over the presidency just last year. Her lack of familiarity with the campus' history and internal dynamics likely hasn't been the best thing for all the controversy, said Robert McCaughey, an emeritus history professor at Barnard College and the author of “Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University."

And like her ousted Ivy League peers, she faces calls to resign. Republicans in the New York congressional delegation urged Shafik over the weekend to step down, while Democrats from the Empire State have been more judicious.

The fact that she called in police somewhat placated Rep. Virginia Foxx, a congresswoman from North Carolina and the powerful Republican chair of the House education committee. She has not called for the president's ouster.

McCaughey, who has studied every leader of the university, said he believes Shafik's presidency will survive.

"She’s got some time.”

Contributing: Clare Mulroy

Zachary Schermele covers education and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele .

USC Cancels Main Commencement, Citing Safety Measures

FILE PHOTO: LAPD surrounds students protesting in support of Palestinians at an encampment at the University of Southern California’s Alumni Park, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Zaydee Sanchez/File Photo

(Reuters) - The University of Southern California (USC) said on Thursday it has called off its main-stage graduation ceremony this year, one week after canceling the valedictorian speech by a Muslim student who said she was silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred.

New safety measures in place this year, such as additional screening procedures, will increase the processing time for guests "substantially," according to an update on USC's website.

"As a result, we will not be able to host the main stage ceremony that traditionally brings 65,000 students, families, and friends to our campus all at the same time," the update said.

The Israel-Gaza war has sparked tensions on U.S. college campuses and inspired a wave of students to erect protest encampments at universities across the country in recent days. Hundreds of protestors have been arrested, including more than 90 at USC on Wednesday.

War in Israel and Gaza

Palestinians are inspecting the damage in the rubble of the Al-Bashir mosque following Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Rights groups have viewed the arrests with concern as a free speech issue, while university officials have said the protests have been unauthorized.

USC's decision to abandon the main commencement ceremony came days after the university announced it had "decided it is best to release our outside speakers and honorees" from attending the commencement ceremony, following the outcry over the decision to cancel the valedictorian's speech.

USC Provost Andrew Guzman said in a statement last week that the decision to cancel the speech of the Muslim valedictorian, biomedical engineering major Asna Tabassum, was aimed at protecting campus security and "had nothing to do with free speech."

Guzman's statement did not refer to Tabassum by name, or specify what about her speech, background or political views had raised concerns, nor did it detail any particular threats.

Trojans for Israel, a USC-based group, and We Are Tov (Hebrew for "good"), a group advocating support for Israel and Jews in collegiate life, called for Tabassum's removal, saying she has previously espoused antisemitic views.

According to Tabassum, who described herself as a "first-generation South Asian-American Muslim," USC officials refused to share details of the university's security assessment.

(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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Gay actor’s speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his ‘lifestyle’

FILE - Actor Maulik Pancholy attends the premiere of “Trishna” during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival on Friday, April 27, 2012 in New York. The school board has reversed it’s decision to cancel an upcoming speech by Pancholy due to concerns about what they described as his activism and “lifestyle.” The board voted 5-4, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, to allow Pancholy to speak at assembly next month where he will speak out against bullying.(AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)

The Cumberland Valley School Board holds a special meeting to discuss their decision to cancel an assembly featuring Maulik Pancholy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday to allow Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP)

Supporters of reinstating the Maulik Pancholy assembly cheer during the Cumberland Valley School Board special meeting to discuss their decision to cancel the assembly, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday to allow Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP)

Brooke Ryerson, 16, right a 10th grade student and her mom Valarie Ryerson of Hampden Twp., Pa., hand out stickers with the eagle logo on a rainbow background before the the Cumberland Valley School Board holds a special meeting to discuss their decision to cancel an assembly featuring “30 Rock” star, Maulik Pancholy, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP)

Supporters of reinstating the Maulik Pancholy assembly cheer during the Cumberland Valley School Board special meeting to discuss their decision to cancel the assembly. April 24, 2024 in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The Cumberland Valley School District’s board voted 5-4 Wednesday to allow Pancholy, who is gay, to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School. (Joe Hermitt/The Patriot-News via AP)

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A gay actor’s speech that was canceled over his “lifestyle” is back on at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out.

FILE - Actor Steve Yeun poses on Oct. 10, 2013, in New York. The Asian American Foundation will hold a Heritage Month Summit in May 2024 in New York City for AAPI Heritage Month. Emmy-winning actor Yeun, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and actor Maulik Pancholy — who had an upcoming appearance canceled by a Pennsylvania school board over his sexual orientation — are among those set to attend. (Photo by Scott Gries/Invision/AP, File)

Pancholy’s appearance was scheduled by the school’s leadership team, which each year selects an author to present a “unique educational experience for students,” according to the district.

At the April 15 meeting, school board members said they did not know what Pancholy would talk about, but one member said he didn’t “want to run the risk” of what it might entail.

Pancholy is looking forward to seeing the community members who supported him next month and was moved by “every single student who showed immense courage” by speaking out at the board meeting, he said in a statement Thursday.

“Thank you for sharing your powerful messages of love, inclusion, respect, and belonging,” Pancholy wrote.

“It’s why I wrote my books in the first place,” Pancholy wrote. “Because representation matters.”

Pancholy said his school visits are meant “to let all young people know that they’re seen. To let them know that they matter.”

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F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules

Commissioners voted along party lines to revive the rules that declare broadband as a utility-like service that could be regulated like phones and water.

Jessica Rosenworcel standing at a lectern, near a sign in the foreground that says The White House, Washington.

By Cecilia Kang

Cecilia Kang has reported on net neutrality since it was first introduced during the Obama administration.

The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to restore regulations that expand government oversight of broadband providers and aim to protect consumer access to the internet, a move that will reignite a long-running battle over the open internet.

Known as net neutrality , the regulations were first put in place nearly a decade ago under the Obama administration and are aimed at preventing internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast from blocking or degrading the delivery of services from competitors like Netflix and YouTube. The rules were repealed under President Donald J. Trump, and have proved to be a contentious partisan issue over the years while pitting tech giants against broadband providers.

In a 3-to-2 vote along party lines, the five-member commission appointed by President Biden revived the rules that declare broadband a utility-like service regulated like phones and water. The rules also give the F.C.C. the ability to demand broadband providers report and respond to outages, as well as expand the agency’s oversight of the providers’ security issues.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman of the F.C.C. and a Democrat, said the rules reflected the importance of high-speed internet as the main mode of communications for many Americans.

“Every consumer deserves internet access that is fast, open and fair,” Ms. Rosenworcel said. “This is common sense.”

Broadband providers are expected to sue to try to overturn the reinstated rules.

“This is a nonissue for broadband consumers, who have enjoyed an open internet for decades,” said Jonathan Spalter, the president of a broadband lobbying group, USTelecom. The organization said it would “pursue all available options, including in the courts.”

In a letter sent to Ms. Rosenworcel this week, dozens of leading Republican lawmakers warned that regulating broadband providers like a utility would harm the growth of the telecommunications industry.

The core purpose of the regulations is to prevent internet service providers from controlling the quality of consumers’ experience when they visit websites and use services online. When the rules were established, Google, Netflix and other online services warned that broadband providers had the incentive to slow down or block access to their services. Consumer and free speech groups supported this view.

There have been few examples of blocking or slowing of sites, which proponents of net neutrality say is largely because of fear that the companies would invite scrutiny if they did so. And opponents say the rules could lead to more and unnecessary government oversight of the industry.

“The internet in America has thrived in the absence of 1930s command-and-control regulation by the government,” said Brendan Carr, a Republican commissioner.

A decade ago, the potential new regulations prompted raucous demonstrations. At the time, telecom companies were losing business to online streaming services. Sites like Facebook, Google and Amazon feared they would be forced to pay telecom companies for better delivery of their services.

During the Trump administration, the F.C.C. rolled back net neutrality . Republican lawmakers and F.C.C. commissioners have balked that the rules were unnecessary and government overreach.

Democrats have argued they are critical to consumer protection. In the vacuum of federal regulations, several states including California and Washington created their own net neutrality laws.

Cecilia Kang reports on technology and regulatory policy and is based in Washington D.C. She has written about technology for over two decades. More about Cecilia Kang

Did USC set ‘very bad precedent’ by canceling valedictorian speech over safety threats?

Asna Tabassum, a graduating senior at USC, was selected as

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Five months ago, USC cited safety as a rationale for banning economics professor John Strauss, who is Jewish, from campus after student activists said they felt threatened when he approached them at a protest and said “Hamas are murderers. ... I hope they all are killed.”

“Our north star is protecting the safety of our community,” a USC spokesperson said at the time.

Now the university is again citing safety concerns for canceling a Muslim valedictorian’s speech at its May commencement ceremony.

More than six months after the Hamas attack on Israel that started a war, campus administrators nationwide are struggling to uphold principles of free expression amid mounting pressure from donors, legislators and activists who claim an ever-expanding amount of speech — or potential speech — subjects students not only to physical danger but also to psychological harm.

A person holds a Palestinian flag during a student protest.

Free speech advocates note that the decision regarding Asna Tabassum, a USC senior who is graduating with a major in biomedical engineering, was not caused by anything she said or planned to say. Instead, the university said, online discussion had taken on an “alarming tenor” as activists objected to her minor — resistance to genocide — and a link to a pro-Palestinian website Tabassum had shared on her Instagram profile .

“This sets a very bad precedent,” said Alex Morey, director of campus rights advocacy with the nonprofit civil rights group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “Moving forward, are they going to cancel every speech that could have anything to do with Israel-Palestine because they’re worried about ‘safety concerns’?”

Free speech experts fear that USC, in canceling its valedictorian’s speech, is paving the way for a censorious commencement season, offering others a playbook on how to silence potentially controversial speakers in the weeks to come.

“A university, except in the most exceptional cases, should not be giving in to threats of violence in order to suppress speakers,” said Keith Whittington, a political scientist at Princeton University and author of “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech.”

“It’s a corruption and compromise of the university’s very basic commitments.”

People in vehicles pass the Tommy Trojan statue.

The use of safety concerns to shut down campus speech did not start after Oct. 7. But, Morey said, universities have increasingly canceled events as they have seen an uptick in protests of Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

Last month, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas halted a public lecture from a visiting Israeli professor 15 minutes after he started speaking when pro-Palestinian protesters burst into the room.

Asaf Pe’er, an expert on theoretical high-energy astrophysics, was not speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His lecture was on black holes.

Rather than stop the disruption, citing the protesters’ 1st Amendment rights, UNLV police escorted Pe’er off campus “to ensure his safety.”

Other cancellations in the name of safety have taken place across the country, from Indiana University shutting down an art exhibit by Palestinian artist Samia Halaby to the University of Vermont canceling an in-person appearance by a pro-Palestinian poet .

Experts who track campus speech say university leaders have predominantly targeted speakers expressing support for the Palestinian cause.

“It’s definitely the pro-Palestinian speech that we are seeing very broadly being subjected to institutional punishments,” Morey said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t cases where pro-Israel or Zionist speakers are being punished.”

Part of the reason pro-Palestinian activists are targeted in greater numbers is that more students have embraced the Palestinian cause in recent years.

Some protests have crossed the line into unprotected expression, Morey said. But there is also growing pressure on university officials from donors and legislators worried about antisemitism to crack down on pro-Palestinian speech.

Students hold a sign reading "Free Palestine."

“It’s a pressure cooker for administrators,” Morey said. “In these cases, we want to make sure that their lodestar are student and faculty rights, rather than who is exerting the most pressure.”

When USC announced that Tabassum would be the valedictorian, two groups — Trojans for Israel, a campus student group, and EndJewHatred, a national movement dedicated to fighting antisemitism — spoke publicly against her.

In an Instagram post , Trojans for Israel said Tabassum “propagates antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric,” but did not cite anything she had written or said publicly. Instead, the post points to a link she had shared on her social media page that leads to a website describing Zionism as a “racist settler-colonial ideology.”

In an interview with The Times , Tabassum said she had not spoken to administrators about her speech, in which she said she had planned to convey hope and emphasize that “we must continue to use our education as a privilege to inform ourselves and ultimately make a change in the world.”

“The university has betrayed me,” she said.

USC administrators contested the idea that Tabassum’s inability to speak is a free speech issue.

“There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement,” Provost Andrew T. Guzman said in a campuswide letter . “The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”

The 1st Amendment guarantees only that the government refrains from abridging freedom of speech. But experts on campus discourse asserted that as an institution of higher learning, USC has a responsibility to defend freedom of ideas.

USC communications professor Christina Dunbar-Hester, chapter president of the USC American Assn. of University Professors, said in a statement that it was disingenuous to frame Tabassum’s speech as a security issue without specifying a threat.

Guzman, she noted, did not offer any details, saying only that the discussion had “escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”

And that, Dunbar-Hester said, raises the question of whether USC faced a specific credible threat or was just trying to find a way to get around controversy.

A student in a yarmulke holds an Israeli flag.

“Here, we have capitulated to a ‘heckler’s veto’ before the fact,” she said. “Why is the burden of a potential threat placed on the shoulders of the valedictorian rather than those who would disrupt her?”

Dunbar-Hester said USC’s action — coming days before conservative legislators in Washington grilled the president of Columbia University — plays into the hands of “anti-intellectual reactionaries” who cynically sought to “demonize campus communities that express solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.”

Howard Rodman, a professor of the writing division at the USC School of Cinematic Art and former president of the USC-AAUP chapter, said administrators decided to cancel Tabassum’s speech without buy-in from the faculty.

A professor holds a sign reading "Let Her Speak!"

“I have spoken to many people who feel that this is a disastrous decision, and no one who feels that it was a correct decision,” he said.

Among USC faculty, Rodman said, there was no widespread agreement on free speech.

“There are people who say, ‘We’re 1st Amendment absolutists,’ who believe that the remedy for speech you don’t like is more speech,” he said. “There are people who believe that the structural question of who owns the megaphone supersedes that. ... ‘Why should the people who own the apparatus of the transmission of ideas have the sole access to it?”

Rodman blamed officials, donors and legislators for the assault on campus free speech.

“The traditional values of the university are under assault by donors who wish to determine policy,” Rodman said. “They’re under assault by a government that places restrictions on what you can do once you have received government money.”

Students have also played a key role in setting up a climate of censorship, experts say.

About a decade ago, Morey said, 1st Amendment attorneys at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression began to notice a shift: Students, who had long advocated for their own free speech rights, were increasingly asking administrators to regulate words and ideas.

In 2014, students at Wellesley College started a petition calling for the removal of an outdoor statue of a man in his underwear, claiming that it was a source of “triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault.” The following year, students at Yale University demanded that Nicholas Christakis step down from his position as faculty-in-residence at Silliman College, after a viral moment in which he tried to converse with students who took offense at an email his wife, Erika Christakis, wrote to students questioning administrators’ guidelines on Halloween costumes.

Commencement ceremonies have long been a magnet for protests, with a rich tradition of students and faculty heckling speakers, turning their backs on them or forcing them to withdraw.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has kept a campus deplatforming database that has tracked such disputes, starting with media mogul and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner’s withdrawal from a 1998 commencement at Macalester College after students protested the team’s use of an Indian mascot.

By 2016, disinvitations were so common that President Obama, speaking at a Rutgers commencement, chided students for pressuring former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to drop out as commencement speaker two years before due to her role in the Iraq war.

“I don’t think that’s how democracy works best, when we’re not even willing to listen to each other,” Obama said .

The focus on safety intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic as students became involved in Black Lives Matter protests, Morey said.

At USC, administrators made business professor Greg Patton “take a short-term pause” from teaching a communications course in August 2020 after Black students complained that a Chinese-language example he used during class sounded like a racial slur and caused them mental harm.

In a letter to MBA students, a dean wrote that such language was “simply unacceptable” for faculty to use because it could “marginalize and harm you and hurt your feelings of psychological safety.”

In November, administrators told Strauss he could not teach undergraduates that semester after he declared: “Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Every one should be killed, and I hope they all are killed.”

John Strauss pauses to talk to students at USC.

Strauss swiftly found himself the subject of dueling petitions: One called for USC to fire him and create a “safe learning environment free from hate speech or discriminatory behavior”; another urged officials to allow him back on campus, arguing that “Jewish people should not have to hide for their safety.”

In early December, USC administrators announced they had lifted all of the restrictions on Strauss.

Over the last few years, commencement disputes over controversial speakers calmed down as universities exercised more caution over who they invited. “They tried to avoid controversy, not by canceling speakers, but by avoiding inviting speakers in the first place,” Morey said.

The focus of controversy may now be turning to students.

Last year, a law student speaking at the City University of New York’s law school commencement caused a national furor when she called for a “revolution” to take on the legal system’s “white supremacy,’’ CUNY’s collaboration with the “fascist NYPD” and Israel’s “project of settler colonialism.”

After the New York Post ran a front-page story about the student, Fatima Mousa Mohammed — headlined “Stark Raving Grad” — CUNY’s Board of Trustees and chancellor announced that 2024’s commencement would not feature student speakers.

Figuring out what is a legitimate security threat on campuses has become increasingly fraught as activists and administrators blur the line between physical and psychological safety.

“Part of what has happened on university campuses for quite some time has been a claim about a kind of emotional and psychological safety,” Princeton’s Whittington said. “That’s primarily a conceptual argument — one that doesn’t seem to require any evidence in order to assert. Universities then can be extremely sweeping in who they might decide to censor or suppress or punish, in reaction to those kinds of complaints.”

Canceling speech while upholding safety in a vague way, without outlining a concrete threat or distinguishing between physical or psychological harm, would only encourage more complaints, Whittington said.

“Universities have an important obligation to explain that these kinds of concerns about emotional psychological safety are just not something that they can be responsive to at all,” Whittington said. “And in the case of genuine threats to physical safety, there ought to be a very high bar before the university is willing to take the step of shutting down a speaker.”

The irony of what happened to Tabassum is it has given her a much bigger platform.

In the last 48 hours, she has conducted a whirl of media interviews, appearing on CNN’s “NewsNight” and in a front-page story in The Times.

“When you silence us,” she said, “you make us louder.”

13 days that rocked USC: How a derailed commencement brought ‘complete disaster’

April 27, 2024

At USC, arrests. At UCLA, hands off. Why pro-Palestinian protests have not blown up on UC campuses

April 26, 2024

Los Angeles, CA - April 24: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at USC on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Opinion: USC’s ‘security risk’ rationale to thwart peaceful protest is not justified

April 25, 2024

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Obama’s Education Policy

Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

Obama’s Speech on Education

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