On education reform
| After praising Gov. Jim Doyle as one of the finest governors in the country and a great friend, Obama welcomed Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, describing the latter as “outstanding.” He then congratulated Wright Middle School Principal Nancy Evans for the impressive work she has done for the school. Education Reform “American prosperity has long rested on how well we educated our children,” Obama told his audience. “In the 21st century, when countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow, there is nothing that will determine the quality of our future as a nation and the lives our children will lead more than the kind of education that we provide them.” Obama urged the students to complete at the least, a college degree, and at the most, a post-graduate degree, stressing that those with a college degree earn more than 60 percent more than those with a high school diploma, and four out of 10 new jobs will require some advanced education. The right education, he added, is a prerequisite for success. Obama lamented that the U.S. now lags behind other countries in math and science; that some states even lowered their standards; that African American and Latino students lag behind their White counterparts. He said his administration is embarking on an education reform program that isn’t abstract, not a pie-in-the-sky, but something concrete, and putting resources to changes that make a difference. With $4 billion allotted to states that could convince the federal government that they have a strong plan to improve the quality of education, Obama said it would be a competitive “Race to the Top” grant allocation. The four measures to be considered for this grant: transforming lowest performing schools; using timely information to improve teaching; outstanding teachers and principals; and higher standards and better assessments that prepare students beyond the classroom. He challenged the states to align their assessments with high standards, but that the students must have been well-prepared for them. He said states should “do a better job at recruiting and preparing teachers,” and to move “bad teachers out of the classroom,” a statement that drew an applause from his audience. He also challenged parents to be involved in their children’s education; schools to do more at reaching out to parents; and students to accept more responsibility for their own education. “What we want is an environment in which everybody agrees — from the governor to the school superintendent, teachers, principals, and most importantly parents and students — that there’s no excuse for mediocrity. And we will take drastic steps when schools aren’t working,” Obama said. |
Pres. Barack Obama at Wright Middle School
By Heidi M. Pascual
Madison, Wisconsin, Nov. 4, 2009 — President Barack Obama visited Wright Middle School, along
Fish Hatchery Road, to deliver his policy speech on education reform. Prior to his speech which was
delivered in the school’s gym, Obama — together with Education Secretary Arne Duncan — met with 40
selected students at the library.
Obama told the students that despite not being wealthy and not having a father in the house, he was
well taken care of by his mother and a grandmother who emphasized education and sent him to good
schools. “Every single one of you could be doing the same kind of things that Arne is doing or I’m doing or
you could be running a company or you could be inventing a product ... anything you can imagine, you can
accomplish, but the only way you do it is if you’re succeeding here in school,” he said, encouraging the
students to work hard in getting good education. “We’re working really hard to try to reform the schools, but
ultimately what matters most is how badly you want a good education. If you think that somehow somebody
is just going to ... pour education in your ear, that’s just not how it works. The only way you end up being in
a position to achieve is if you want it, if inside you want it.”
A few minutes after, the President proceeded to Wright Middle School’s gym where hundreds of
parents, teachers, students, Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) officials, staff and community
leaders gathered to hear his education-reform policy speech.
Madison, Wisconsin, Nov. 4, 2009 — President Barack Obama visited Wright Middle School, along
Fish Hatchery Road, to deliver his policy speech on education reform. Prior to his speech which was
delivered in the school’s gym, Obama — together with Education Secretary Arne Duncan — met with 40
selected students at the library.
Obama told the students that despite not being wealthy and not having a father in the house, he was
well taken care of by his mother and a grandmother who emphasized education and sent him to good
schools. “Every single one of you could be doing the same kind of things that Arne is doing or I’m doing or
you could be running a company or you could be inventing a product ... anything you can imagine, you can
accomplish, but the only way you do it is if you’re succeeding here in school,” he said, encouraging the
students to work hard in getting good education. “We’re working really hard to try to reform the schools, but
ultimately what matters most is how badly you want a good education. If you think that somehow somebody
is just going to ... pour education in your ear, that’s just not how it works. The only way you end up being in
a position to achieve is if you want it, if inside you want it.”
A few minutes after, the President proceeded to Wright Middle School’s gym where hundreds of
parents, teachers, students, Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) officials, staff and community
leaders gathered to hear his education-reform policy speech.
