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Obama in Madison: 'The currency of today’s economy is knowledge'
Posted: 11/4/2009 1:14:18 PM
- Photo by Christina Brey
President Barack Obama outlined his federal stimulus program for schools Wednesday at a Madison middle school, challenging state and local officials, education advocates, community members and families to make a long-term investment in education.
Obama stressed to students at Madison’s Wright Middle School that most current jobs require a college degree, and 40 percent of newly created jobs require advanced education or training.
“The currency of today’s economy is knowledge,” Obama said. “The right education is a prerequisite for success.”
Obama said “petty bickering” is standing in the way of progress, and he detailed the measures his administration will use to assess applications from states for more than $4 billion in federal funds.
After meeting with a group of students and faculty from Wright, Obama – in his first visit to Madison since taking the nation’s highest elected office – said students in the United States are being outpaced in math and science as some states lower their proficiency standards.
Obama also said education is “not a task for government alone,” and pressed parents to be involved in their children’s studies. He also derided political fighting over schools and said the “status quo has held back our children.”
“We are putting our resources behind the kinds of reforms that are going to make a difference,” Obama said. “We are making this America’s national mission.”
The key to Obama’s address to the school was the federal Race to the Top grants, a stimulus program for schools to be administered by the Department of Education and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who joined Obama on the visit to Madison.
To be a part of Race to the Top and its $4 billion in grants, a state must not have a law barring the use of student test scores in evaluating teachers. The Wisconsin Legislature on Thursday, its last day of session, could make that a reality for our state. (Last week, WEAC President Mary Bell
testified in favor of the legislation.)
WEAC President Mary Bell, who joined Obama at the school and was among the dignitaries who welcomed him to Madison, said, “Our union of educators has spent a great deal of energy in working collaboratively to improve student achievement in Wisconsin."
"We are proud to be part of efforts that position Wisconsin for meaningful change," Bell said. "We support sound educational policies that will uphold our state’s proud tradition of academic excellence.”
Obama laid out four areas of reform his administration will look at in considering Race to the Top applications:
Student assessment
Obama said evaluation tests for students should be reworked to include the ability to assess critical thinking, teamwork and entrepreneurship. Standards should be raised, and the tools should be there to help students reach the bar. “What we want to do is finally get testing right,” Obama said. “We’re not just interested in can they fill out a bubble.”
High-quality teachers
Year-long residencies, increasing the skills of those who teach special education and English Language Learners, and bringing high-quality teachers to schools where they’re needed most are some of the ideas Obama said should be employed by states looking for federal grant money.
Tracking student progress
“One of the things that teachers get so frustrated about is these standardized tests come at a time when it’s too late to use to actually help the students improve their performance,” Obama said. Tracking students’ progress throughout their academic career and providing that data continuously to educators and principals will be at the heart of measuring student success, Obama added.
Reaching all schools
A state’s ideas for reform must include schools at all levels of performance, Obama said. Lower-performing schools shouldn’t be ignored and plans should be drafted to rework a school “from top to bottom” if needed, Obama said, adding, “There’s no excuse for mediocrity.”
Race to the Top grants are expected to be awarded in February.
“A race to the top has begun in our schools,” Obama said.
Prior to addressing the students, faculty and parents of Wright Middle School as well as state and local officials and education advocates, President Obama, along with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, met with about 40 students of the middle school. Read the transcript