At Wright Middle School, Madison, Wisconsin (Nov. 5, 2009)
President Barack Obama's remarks
President Barack Obama's remarks
So we're thrilled to be here. He might want to say a few things, and looks like you guys have questions for him. And so we'll be quick and we'll
open up to your questions.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is good to see all of you. Thanks so much for having us.
First of all, I've got a great Secretary of Education in Arne Duncan. So he helps school districts all across the country in trying to figure out how to
improve what's going on in the schools. And let me just pick up on something that Arne said earlier.
I was really lucky to have a great education. I didn't have a lot of money. My parents weren't famous. In fact, my father left when I was two years
old, so I really didn't grow up with a father in the house; mostly it was my mom and my grandparents. But they always emphasized education and
they were able to send me to good schools, and by working hard I was obviously in a position to do some good stuff.
My wife, Michelle, same thing. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Her dad was actually disabled, he had multiple sclerosis, but he still
worked every day in a blue collar job. And her mom didn't work, and when she did she was a secretary. But because she worked really hard in
school she ended up getting a scholarship to Princeton and to Harvard Law School and ended up really being able to achieve a lot.
So that's the reason why we are spending a lot of time talking to folks like you, because we want all of you to understand that there's nothing more
important than what you're doing right here at this school. And Wright has a great reputation, this school is improving all the time, but ultimately
how good a school is depends on how well you guys are doing.
And the main message that I just wanted to deliver to you is, every single one of you could be doing the same kinds of things that Arne is doing or
I'm doing or you could be running a company or you can be inventing a product or you could — look, anything you can imagine, you can
accomplish, but the only way you do it is if you're succeeding here in school. And we are spending a lot of money to try to improve school
buildings and put computers in and make sure that your teachers are well trained and that they are getting the support they need.
So 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 — you can tilt your head and somebody is going to pour education in your ear, that's just not how it
works. The only way that you end up being in a position to achieve is if you want it, if inside you want it.
And part of the reason why we wanted to talk to you guys is, you're right at the point now in your lives where what you do is really going to start
mattering. My daughters are a little younger than you — Malia is 11, Sasha is eight — but when you're in grade school, you're playing — hopefully
somebody is making sure you're doing your homework when you get it, but to some degree you're still just kind of learning how to learn.
By the time you get to middle school, you're now going to be confronted with a lot of choices. You're going to start entering those teenage years
where there are a lot of distractions and in some places people will say you don't need to worry about school or it's uncool to be smart or — you
know, all kinds of things. And, look, I'll be honest, I went through some of that when I was in high school and I made some mistakes and had
some setbacks.
So I just want everybody to understand right now that nothing is going to be more important to you than just being hungry for knowledge. And if
all of you decide to do that, then there are going to be teachers and principals and secretaries of education who are going to be there to help you.
So hopefully you guys will take that all to heart.
All right. Okay. Now we're going to kick out everybody so I can let you — you guys can ask me all the really tough questions without having the
press here.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S EDUCATION SYSTEM
James C. Wright Middle School
Madison, Wisconsin
1:40 P.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Hello, Madison! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. Everybody, please, have a seat. Have a
seat.
It is good to see all of you. Good to be back in Madison. I want to first of all just say that Jim Doyle is not only one of the finest governors we
have in the country, but is also a great friend, a great supporter; his entire family has been wonderful. And so I just could not be prouder to
associate myself with the outstanding work that Jim has done in the state. Please give him a big round of applause.
We've got two wonderful mayors in the house. First of all, your own, Dave Cieslewicz, is here. Dave. And Milwaukee's outstanding mayor, Tom
Barrett, is in the house.
I am so impressed with the work that's been done here at Wright Middle School and I know that Principal Nancy Evans deserves a huge amount
of credit, so please give her a big round of applause. And to the faculty and the staff, but most importantly, the students, who I had a chance to
meet with earlier today, they are just some outstanding young people. So if there are any parents of students in the house you should be proud —-
and give them all a big round of applause.
Now, it's great to be back in Madison, great to be back in Wisconsin. And I've heard great things about Wright, so I've got very high expectations
for all the students here — and I told them this. I expect them to keep up the good work that you've already been putting in to make sure that you
succeed not just in middle school, but also in high school, also in college, and for the rest of your lives. And parents, I want you to stay on them
because — because that is an absolutely critical ingredient for their success.
You know, one year ago, Americans all across this country went to the polls and cast ballots for the future they wanted to see. Election Day was
a day of hope, it was a day of possibility, but it was also sobering because we knew even then that we faced an array of challenges that would
test us as a country. We already saw that there was a financial crisis that threatened to plunge our economy into a great depression — the worst
that we've seen in generations. We had record deficits, two wars, frayed alliances around the world.
Facing this reality, my administration had two fundamental obligations. The first was to rescue the economy from imminent collapse. And while
we still have a long way to go, we have made meaningful progress toward achieving that goal. We acted boldly and swiftly to pass a Recovery
Act that has made a difference for families right here in Wisconsin, and Jim, your governor, described the difference that it's made.
We've put a tax cut into the pockets of 95 percent of hardworking families. We created or saved over one million jobs, including 4,000 education
jobs right here in Wisconsin. We've taken steps to unlock our frozen credit markets so that the ordinary American can get the loan that he or she
needs to buy a home or a car, to go to college or start a new business. We've enacted measures to stem the crisis in our housing market to help
responsible homeowners stay in their homes and curb the decline of home values overall.
So all these things contributed to the first quarter of economic growth that we've had as a nation in over a year. The rate of job loss is slowing,
although not nearly fast enough yet. The work continues. But we're moving in the right direction, and we are going to keep on fulfilling our
obligation to do every single thing we possibly can to pull this economy out of the ditch and to make sure that people can find jobs that pay good
wages. That's our top priority.
So that was the rescue part of our job, just solving the immediate crisis. But we also came into office with another goal, another obligation — not
simply to do what needed to be done to deal with an emergency crisis, but to make those long-term investments necessary to build our economy
stronger than before. It was an obligation to tackle problems that had been festering, problems that had been kicked down the road year after
year, decade after decade; problems that have to be overcome for America to move forward.
See, even before the crisis we were having big problems. We were just papering them over. Manufacturing was declining and we weren’t
producing as many high-tech, high-skilled jobs as we needed to be. We had an energy situation where suddenly oil producers or speculators
want to constrict supply, and next thing you know you're paying four bucks at the pump. So we didn’t have energy independence. Health care
costs were skyrocketing — before the crisis — so that families were seeing more and more out-of-pocket costs and essentially trading away
salary and wages just to keep up with their premiums.
So we had an obligation to create a better health care system that works for our people, our businesses, and our government alike. And that's
why we've been pushing so hard on health care reform. That's why we took up the cause of a clean energy economy that will free America from
the grip of foreign oil and generate millions of good-paying jobs in the process — green jobs in retrofitting old buildings to make them more energy
efficient, creating the batteries and other technologies needed for plug-in hybrids that can get 150 miles a gallon — and will help to curb climate
change. And that's why we're taking up the cause that I'm here to talk about today, and that is offering the best possible education to America's
sons and daughters.
American prosperity has long rested on how well we educate our children. But this has never been more true than it is today. 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. Nothing is more important.
And here is what we know: Over the course of a lifetime, those with a college degree — and I want the young people here especially to listen to
this — over the course of a lifetime, those with a college degree earn over 60 percent more than those with only a high school diploma — 60
percent more. Most of the fastest growing jobs require a bachelor's degree or more. This is what we were talking about earlier in the classroom.
Four out of every 10 new jobs will require at least some advanced education or training within the next decade. So put simply, the right education
is a prerequisite for success. There was a time when if you just got a high school education and you were willing to work hard, you could get a
job in a trade or in the factory that paid a middle-class wage. And those days are declining. The currency of today's economy is knowledge.
And yet we continue to trail other countries in a number of critical areas. The United States, a nation that has always led the way in innovation, is
now being outpaced in math and science education. A handful of states have even gone in the wrong direction, lowering their standards at the
very moment that they should be raising them. We used to rank number one in the number of college graduates and advanced degrees. That's not
the case anymore. Meanwhile, African American and Latino students continue to lag behind their White classmates — an achievement gap that
will ultimately cost us hundreds of billions of dollars because that's our future workforce.
Of course, these problems aren't new. We've heard about them for years. But instead of coming together to solve them, we've let partisanship and
petty bickering stand in the way of progress. It's been Democrat versus Republican — it's been Democrat versus Republican, it's been voucher
versus public schools, it's been more money versus more reform. In some cases, people have seen schools as sort of a political spoil having to
do with jobs and contracts instead of what we're teaching kids. And this status quo has held back our children, it's held back our economy, and
it's held back our country for too long. It's time to stop just talking about education reform and start actually doing it. It's time to make education
America's national mission.
Now, I'm proud to say that thanks to one of the best secretaries of education America has ever had, Arne Duncan, who's here today — stand up,
Arne, so everybody can see use — thanks to Arne's passion and understanding of these issues and the ability to bring people together, that's
exactly what we're going to do. We are making this America's national mission: improving our schools not in unrealistic ways, not in abstract
ways, not in pie-in-the-sky ways — in concrete ways we are putting our resources behind the kinds of reforms that are going to make a difference.
In the coming weeks, states will be able to compete for what we're calling a Race to the Top award. We're putting over $4 billion on the table —
$4 billion with a "b" — one of the largest investments that the federal government has ever made in education reform. But we're not just handing
it out to states because they want it. We're not just handing it out based on population. It's not just going through the usual political formulas.
We're challenging states to compete for it.
And I have to tell you, this was not an easy thing to get through Congress. This is not normally how federal dollars work. But because of Arne's
tenacity and our commitment to make sure that reform happens, that's how we've structured it. We're saying to states, if you are committed to real
change in the way you educate your children, if you're willing to hold yourselves more accountable, and if you develop a strong plan to improve
the quality of education in your state, then we'll offer you a big grant to help you make that plan a reality.
Now, before a state is even eligible to compete, they'll have to take an important first step. And this has caused some controversy in some
places, but it shouldn't be controversial. Any state that has a so-called firewall law will have to remove them. Now, here's what a firewall law is:
It basically says that you can't factor in the performance of students when you're evaluating teachers. That is not a good message in terms of
accountability. So we said, if you've got one of those laws, if you want to compete for these grants you got to get rid of that law.
And we'll encourage states to take a better approach when it comes to charter schools and other innovative public schools. When these schools
are performing poorly, they'll be shut down. But when innovative public schools are succeeding, they shouldn't be stifled — they should be
supported.
And I'm proud to say that already a number of states have taken us up on this challenge. Across the country, different groups are coming together
to bring about change in our schools — teachers unions and parents groups, businesses and community organizations. In places like New
Haven, educators and city leaders have come together to find a smarter way to evaluate teachers and turn around low-performing schools. In
states like California and Indiana and Wisconsin, you're seeing steps taken to remove these so-called firewall laws so we can have a clear look
at how well our children are learning and what can be done to help them learn better. States like Delaware and Louisiana, Tennessee and Illinois
are all making efforts to let innovative charter schools flourish.
So, a race to the top has begun in our schools, but the real competition will begin when states apply for the actual Race to the Top grants. See,
they had to make some changes just to even join the race. But now the race starts, and we're going to start seeing even more interesting
changes at the local level. So we'll take a hard look at states' applications to determine whether they measure up. We'll take a look at a state's
track record to determine whether the steps they've taken have had real results when it comes to their students' education. We'll take a look at
whether states are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach when it comes to reform. And in particular, we'll take a look at how states are doing
when it comes to four key measures of reform.
And I want to get into some details about this because I want you, as parents, as well as the educators, to understand what the data and the
science and the studies and the research show actually make a big difference in terms of school improvement — because that's what we are
basing this stuff on. We didn’t just kind of make it up, didn’t just do it because it sounded good, this is what the research shows is really going to
make a difference.
The first measure is whether a state is committed to setting higher standards and better assessments that prepare our children to succeed in the
21st century. And I'm pleased to report that 48 states are now working to develop internationally competitive standards — internationally
competitive standards because these young people are going to be growing up in an international environment where they're competing not just
against kids in Chicago or Los Angeles for jobs, but they're competing against folks in Beijing and Bangalore.
This is something I called for earlier this year, and I want to commend the leadership of the governors and school chiefs who've joined together
to get this done. And because of these efforts, there will be a set of common standards that any state can adopt, beginning early next year. And I
urge all our states to do so and to upgrade what's taught in the classroom accordingly to meet these international standards.
I also challenge states to align their assessments with high standards — because we should — we should not just raise the bar, we should
prepare our kids to meet it. There's no point in having really high standards but we're not doing what it takes to meet those standards. And I want
to be clear. This is not just about more tests, because I know that in the past people have been concerned about, you know, is this about
standardized tests, or are we going to have our young people being taught to the test? That's the last thing we want.
But what we want to do — what we want to do is finally get testing right. So it's not about more tests, it's about being smarter about our
assessments. It's about measuring not only whether our kids can master the basics, but whether they can solve challenging tasks, do they have
the skills like critical thinking and teamwork and entrepreneurship; assessments that don't just give us a snapshot of how a student is doing in a
particular subject, but a big picture look at how they're learning overall; and assessments that will help tell us if our kids have the knowledge
and the skills to thrive when they graduate.
So we're not just interested in can they fill out a bubble. What we want to do is to take a look generally — are kids learning and gaining the
critical thinking skills that they need to succeed. Now, these are the kinds of assessments that our states should be putting in place, and we're
setting up a separate competition where they can win grants, extra grants to help them do just that.
So, standards and assessments, that's the first measure; are we doing that well? If the state wants to get a Race to the Top grant, they've got to do
that well. And because we know that from the moment our kids enter a school, the most important factor in their success — other than their
parents — is the person standing in front of the classroom, the teacher. The second measure is whether a state is committed to putting effective
teachers in its classrooms and effective principals at the helm of its schools.
Now, it's time to start taking this commitment seriously. We've got to do a better job recruiting and preparing new teachers. We've got to do a
better job of rewarding outstanding teachers. And I've got to be honest, we've got to do a better job of moving bad teachers out of the classroom,
once they've been given an opportunity to do it right.
And that means creating alternate pathways to teaching for talented young people by expanding programs like the one used in Boston, where
aspiring teachers work side-by-side with effective mentors in a year-long residency. It means bringing quality teachers in — it means bringing
quality teachers to the neighborhoods that need them the most, because right now a lot of what happens is, is that some of the best teachers, as
they get seniority, they move on to the places — the school districts that pay better and, frankly, are easier to teach. And we've got to give them
some incentives to stay so that the kids who need the most help are getting some of the best teachers.
It means boosting the number — the numbers of quality teachers who can help our special education and English language learners meet high
standards — and you've done that here at Wright, so congratulations on that. It means improving instruction in science, technology, reading, math,
and ensuring that more women and people of color are doing well in those subjects. So that's the second — the second factor.
Third factor, third measure we'll use in this Race to the Top competition, is whether states are tracking the progress of our students and teachers
to make sure every child graduates ready for college and a career. So as I said earlier — as I said earlier, before a state can even apply for a
grant, it has to change any laws that prevent us from factoring in the performance of students when they're evaluating their teachers. But that's
not enough. If a state wants to increase its chances of actually winning a grant, it's going to have to do more. It's going to have to collect
information about how students are doing in a particular year and over the course of an academic career, and make this information available to
teachers so they can use it to improve the way they teach.
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. So if we're going to collect —- if we're going to collect data on how kids are doing, let's make sure the
teachers have it in usable form so that they can actually start doing a better job.
That's how teachers can determine what they should be doing differently in the classroom. That's how principals can determine what changes
need to be made in our schools. And that's how school districts can determine what they need to be doing better to prepare our teachers and
principals.
Now, even with stronger standards, better assessments, outstanding teachers, some schools will still be difficult to turn around. I want us to be
honest about this. There are some schools that are starting in a tough position — a lot of kids coming from impoverished backgrounds, a lot of
kids coming in that may have not gotten the kind of head start that they needed; they start school already behind. And even though there are
heroic teachers and principals in many of these schools, the fact is that they need some extra help.
And that's why the fourth measure we'll use in awarding Race to the Top grants is whether a state is focused on transforming not just its high-
performing schools, not just the middle-of-the-pack schools, but the lowest-performing schools. We'll look at whether they're willing to remake a
school from top to bottom with new leaders and a new way of teaching, replacing a school's principal if it's not working, and at least half its staff,
close a school for a time and then reopen it under new management, even shut down the school entirely and send its students to a better school
nearby.
There are always excuses for why these schools can't perform. But part of 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.
So these are the kinds of vigorous strategies that are necessary to turn around our most troubled schools: transforming our lowest-performing
schools; using timely information to improve the way we teach our children; outstanding teachers and principals in our classrooms and our
schools that are getting the support they need; higher standards and better assessments that prepare our kids for life beyond a classroom. These
are the challenges, the four challenges that states have to take up if they want to win a Race to the Top award.
And these are the four challenges that our country has to meet for our children to outcompete workers around the world, for our economy to grow
and to prosper, and for America to lead in the 21st century.
Now, let me just close by saying this — I've said this before, but I never miss an opportunity to impress this upon an audience. Lifting up
American education is not a task for government alone. It will take parents getting more involved; it will take parents getting more involved in
their child's education. It will take schools doing more to reach out with parents. It will take students — students — accepting more responsibility
for their own education.
I was explaining to them that education is not saying where, you know, you just tilt your ear and you just pour it in your ear. You've got to be an
active participant in wanting to get an education.
These aren’t in my prepared remarks, but I think it's important to note that Malia and Sasha are just wonderful kids, and Michelle is a wonderful
mother. But in our own household, with all the privileges and opportunities that we have, there are times — look, there are times when kids slack
off. There are times where they would rather be watching TV or playing a computer game than hitting the books. And part of our job as parents —-
Michelle and my job — is not just to tell our kids what to do, but to start instilling in them a sense that they want to do it for themselves.
So Malia came home the other day. She had gotten a 73 on her science test. Now, she's a 6th grader. There was a time a couple years ago when
she came home with like an 80-something and she said, "I did pretty well." And I said, "No, no, no. That's" — I said, "Our goal is" — "Our goal is
90 percent and up."
Here is the interesting thing. She started internalizing that. So she came and she was depressed, "I got a 73." And I said, "Well, what happened?"
"Well, the teacher — the study guide didn't match up with what was on the test." "So what's your idea here?" "Well, I'm going to start — I've got to
read the whole chapter. I'm going to change how I study, how I approach it." So she came home yesterday, she was — "I got a 95" — right? — so
she's high-fiving.
But here's the point. She said — she said, "I just like having knowledge." That's what she said. And what was happening was she had started
wanting it more than us. Now, once you get to that point, our kids are on their way. But the only way they get to that point is if we're helping them
get to that point.
So it's going to take that kind of effort from parents to set a high bar in the household. Don't just expect teachers to set a high bar. You've got to
set a high bar in the household all across America.
It will take teachers unions and parents and elected leaders working together as partners in common effort — not seeing each other as
antagonists, but all of us having the same goal. It will take each and every one of us doing our part on behalf of our children and our country and
the future that we share.
I'll never forget a moment many years ago — this is long before I ran for President, before I ran for elected office. I was just starting out as a
community organizer in Chicago. And we had set up a meeting to figure out how to rebuild our neighborhoods that I was working in — very
impoverished neighborhoods on the South Side. And nobody showed up to the meeting. This is my first big meeting —- nobody showed up. So I
was pretty depressed. I had some community leaders, some volunteers who had helped me try to organize this thing, and they were depressed.
They felt so defeated they were talking about quitting. Everybody was too apathetic, they said, there's no point in trying.
But then, I looked outside as I was listening to them talk and I saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street, and they were just
throwing rocks at an old apartment building that was boarded up. And those boys reminded me of me, who didn't have a father in the house and
who had gotten in some trouble when he was young. And I turned to those volunteers and I said, "Before we quit, I want to ask you a question.
What's going to happen to those boys if we quit, if we give up on them?" And I thought, if we can't see that we have got a stake in those young
boys, if we're not willing to do our part on their behalf, if we fail to recognize that the fight for their future is the fight for our own future, well, who
is going to do it?
So one by one, those volunteers, they stayed. Family by family, we reached out to the community. Slowly people started coming to meetings.
Block by block, we helped to turn those neighborhoods around and helped to improve some of those schools in the area.
And that's the common spirit — the spirit of common purpose, that all of us have to have in America today. And I'm absolutely confident that if
we're all willing to come together and embrace that spirit — in the living room, in the classroom, and the State House, on Capitol Hill — then not
only will we see our students reaching farther, not only will we see our schools performing better, not only are we going to help ensure our
children outcompete workers abroad and that America outcompetes nations, but we're going to protect the dream of our founding and give all of
our children, every last one of them, a fair chance and an equal start in the race to life.
Thank you very much, everybody. All right. Thank you. God bless, and God bless the United States of America.
open up to your questions.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is good to see all of you. Thanks so much for having us.
First of all, I've got a great Secretary of Education in Arne Duncan. So he helps school districts all across the country in trying to figure out how to
improve what's going on in the schools. And let me just pick up on something that Arne said earlier.
I was really lucky to have a great education. I didn't have a lot of money. My parents weren't famous. In fact, my father left when I was two years
old, so I really didn't grow up with a father in the house; mostly it was my mom and my grandparents. But they always emphasized education and
they were able to send me to good schools, and by working hard I was obviously in a position to do some good stuff.
My wife, Michelle, same thing. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Her dad was actually disabled, he had multiple sclerosis, but he still
worked every day in a blue collar job. And her mom didn't work, and when she did she was a secretary. But because she worked really hard in
school she ended up getting a scholarship to Princeton and to Harvard Law School and ended up really being able to achieve a lot.
So that's the reason why we are spending a lot of time talking to folks like you, because we want all of you to understand that there's nothing more
important than what you're doing right here at this school. And Wright has a great reputation, this school is improving all the time, but ultimately
how good a school is depends on how well you guys are doing.
And the main message that I just wanted to deliver to you is, every single one of you could be doing the same kinds of things that Arne is doing or
I'm doing or you could be running a company or you can be inventing a product or you could — look, anything you can imagine, you can
accomplish, but the only way you do it is if you're succeeding here in school. And we are spending a lot of money to try to improve school
buildings and put computers in and make sure that your teachers are well trained and that they are getting the support they need.
So 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 — you can tilt your head and somebody is going to pour education in your ear, that's just not how it
works. The only way that you end up being in a position to achieve is if you want it, if inside you want it.
And part of the reason why we wanted to talk to you guys is, you're right at the point now in your lives where what you do is really going to start
mattering. My daughters are a little younger than you — Malia is 11, Sasha is eight — but when you're in grade school, you're playing — hopefully
somebody is making sure you're doing your homework when you get it, but to some degree you're still just kind of learning how to learn.
By the time you get to middle school, you're now going to be confronted with a lot of choices. You're going to start entering those teenage years
where there are a lot of distractions and in some places people will say you don't need to worry about school or it's uncool to be smart or — you
know, all kinds of things. And, look, I'll be honest, I went through some of that when I was in high school and I made some mistakes and had
some setbacks.
So I just want everybody to understand right now that nothing is going to be more important to you than just being hungry for knowledge. And if
all of you decide to do that, then there are going to be teachers and principals and secretaries of education who are going to be there to help you.
So hopefully you guys will take that all to heart.
All right. Okay. Now we're going to kick out everybody so I can let you — you guys can ask me all the really tough questions without having the
press here.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S EDUCATION SYSTEM
James C. Wright Middle School
Madison, Wisconsin
1:40 P.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Hello, Madison! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. Everybody, please, have a seat. Have a
seat.
It is good to see all of you. Good to be back in Madison. I want to first of all just say that Jim Doyle is not only one of the finest governors we
have in the country, but is also a great friend, a great supporter; his entire family has been wonderful. And so I just could not be prouder to
associate myself with the outstanding work that Jim has done in the state. Please give him a big round of applause.
We've got two wonderful mayors in the house. First of all, your own, Dave Cieslewicz, is here. Dave. And Milwaukee's outstanding mayor, Tom
Barrett, is in the house.
I am so impressed with the work that's been done here at Wright Middle School and I know that Principal Nancy Evans deserves a huge amount
of credit, so please give her a big round of applause. And to the faculty and the staff, but most importantly, the students, who I had a chance to
meet with earlier today, they are just some outstanding young people. So if there are any parents of students in the house you should be proud —-
and give them all a big round of applause.
Now, it's great to be back in Madison, great to be back in Wisconsin. And I've heard great things about Wright, so I've got very high expectations
for all the students here — and I told them this. I expect them to keep up the good work that you've already been putting in to make sure that you
succeed not just in middle school, but also in high school, also in college, and for the rest of your lives. And parents, I want you to stay on them
because — because that is an absolutely critical ingredient for their success.
You know, one year ago, Americans all across this country went to the polls and cast ballots for the future they wanted to see. Election Day was
a day of hope, it was a day of possibility, but it was also sobering because we knew even then that we faced an array of challenges that would
test us as a country. We already saw that there was a financial crisis that threatened to plunge our economy into a great depression — the worst
that we've seen in generations. We had record deficits, two wars, frayed alliances around the world.
Facing this reality, my administration had two fundamental obligations. The first was to rescue the economy from imminent collapse. And while
we still have a long way to go, we have made meaningful progress toward achieving that goal. We acted boldly and swiftly to pass a Recovery
Act that has made a difference for families right here in Wisconsin, and Jim, your governor, described the difference that it's made.
We've put a tax cut into the pockets of 95 percent of hardworking families. We created or saved over one million jobs, including 4,000 education
jobs right here in Wisconsin. We've taken steps to unlock our frozen credit markets so that the ordinary American can get the loan that he or she
needs to buy a home or a car, to go to college or start a new business. We've enacted measures to stem the crisis in our housing market to help
responsible homeowners stay in their homes and curb the decline of home values overall.
So all these things contributed to the first quarter of economic growth that we've had as a nation in over a year. The rate of job loss is slowing,
although not nearly fast enough yet. The work continues. But we're moving in the right direction, and we are going to keep on fulfilling our
obligation to do every single thing we possibly can to pull this economy out of the ditch and to make sure that people can find jobs that pay good
wages. That's our top priority.
So that was the rescue part of our job, just solving the immediate crisis. But we also came into office with another goal, another obligation — not
simply to do what needed to be done to deal with an emergency crisis, but to make those long-term investments necessary to build our economy
stronger than before. It was an obligation to tackle problems that had been festering, problems that had been kicked down the road year after
year, decade after decade; problems that have to be overcome for America to move forward.
See, even before the crisis we were having big problems. We were just papering them over. Manufacturing was declining and we weren’t
producing as many high-tech, high-skilled jobs as we needed to be. We had an energy situation where suddenly oil producers or speculators
want to constrict supply, and next thing you know you're paying four bucks at the pump. So we didn’t have energy independence. Health care
costs were skyrocketing — before the crisis — so that families were seeing more and more out-of-pocket costs and essentially trading away
salary and wages just to keep up with their premiums.
So we had an obligation to create a better health care system that works for our people, our businesses, and our government alike. And that's
why we've been pushing so hard on health care reform. That's why we took up the cause of a clean energy economy that will free America from
the grip of foreign oil and generate millions of good-paying jobs in the process — green jobs in retrofitting old buildings to make them more energy
efficient, creating the batteries and other technologies needed for plug-in hybrids that can get 150 miles a gallon — and will help to curb climate
change. And that's why we're taking up the cause that I'm here to talk about today, and that is offering the best possible education to America's
sons and daughters.
American prosperity has long rested on how well we educate our children. But this has never been more true than it is today. 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. Nothing is more important.
And here is what we know: Over the course of a lifetime, those with a college degree — and I want the young people here especially to listen to
this — over the course of a lifetime, those with a college degree earn over 60 percent more than those with only a high school diploma — 60
percent more. Most of the fastest growing jobs require a bachelor's degree or more. This is what we were talking about earlier in the classroom.
Four out of every 10 new jobs will require at least some advanced education or training within the next decade. So put simply, the right education
is a prerequisite for success. There was a time when if you just got a high school education and you were willing to work hard, you could get a
job in a trade or in the factory that paid a middle-class wage. And those days are declining. The currency of today's economy is knowledge.
And yet we continue to trail other countries in a number of critical areas. The United States, a nation that has always led the way in innovation, is
now being outpaced in math and science education. A handful of states have even gone in the wrong direction, lowering their standards at the
very moment that they should be raising them. We used to rank number one in the number of college graduates and advanced degrees. That's not
the case anymore. Meanwhile, African American and Latino students continue to lag behind their White classmates — an achievement gap that
will ultimately cost us hundreds of billions of dollars because that's our future workforce.
Of course, these problems aren't new. We've heard about them for years. But instead of coming together to solve them, we've let partisanship and
petty bickering stand in the way of progress. It's been Democrat versus Republican — it's been Democrat versus Republican, it's been voucher
versus public schools, it's been more money versus more reform. In some cases, people have seen schools as sort of a political spoil having to
do with jobs and contracts instead of what we're teaching kids. And this status quo has held back our children, it's held back our economy, and
it's held back our country for too long. It's time to stop just talking about education reform and start actually doing it. It's time to make education
America's national mission.
Now, I'm proud to say that thanks to one of the best secretaries of education America has ever had, Arne Duncan, who's here today — stand up,
Arne, so everybody can see use — thanks to Arne's passion and understanding of these issues and the ability to bring people together, that's
exactly what we're going to do. We are making this America's national mission: improving our schools not in unrealistic ways, not in abstract
ways, not in pie-in-the-sky ways — in concrete ways we are putting our resources behind the kinds of reforms that are going to make a difference.
In the coming weeks, states will be able to compete for what we're calling a Race to the Top award. We're putting over $4 billion on the table —
$4 billion with a "b" — one of the largest investments that the federal government has ever made in education reform. But we're not just handing
it out to states because they want it. We're not just handing it out based on population. It's not just going through the usual political formulas.
We're challenging states to compete for it.
And I have to tell you, this was not an easy thing to get through Congress. This is not normally how federal dollars work. But because of Arne's
tenacity and our commitment to make sure that reform happens, that's how we've structured it. We're saying to states, if you are committed to real
change in the way you educate your children, if you're willing to hold yourselves more accountable, and if you develop a strong plan to improve
the quality of education in your state, then we'll offer you a big grant to help you make that plan a reality.
Now, before a state is even eligible to compete, they'll have to take an important first step. And this has caused some controversy in some
places, but it shouldn't be controversial. Any state that has a so-called firewall law will have to remove them. Now, here's what a firewall law is:
It basically says that you can't factor in the performance of students when you're evaluating teachers. That is not a good message in terms of
accountability. So we said, if you've got one of those laws, if you want to compete for these grants you got to get rid of that law.
And we'll encourage states to take a better approach when it comes to charter schools and other innovative public schools. When these schools
are performing poorly, they'll be shut down. But when innovative public schools are succeeding, they shouldn't be stifled — they should be
supported.
And I'm proud to say that already a number of states have taken us up on this challenge. Across the country, different groups are coming together
to bring about change in our schools — teachers unions and parents groups, businesses and community organizations. In places like New
Haven, educators and city leaders have come together to find a smarter way to evaluate teachers and turn around low-performing schools. In
states like California and Indiana and Wisconsin, you're seeing steps taken to remove these so-called firewall laws so we can have a clear look
at how well our children are learning and what can be done to help them learn better. States like Delaware and Louisiana, Tennessee and Illinois
are all making efforts to let innovative charter schools flourish.
So, a race to the top has begun in our schools, but the real competition will begin when states apply for the actual Race to the Top grants. See,
they had to make some changes just to even join the race. But now the race starts, and we're going to start seeing even more interesting
changes at the local level. So we'll take a hard look at states' applications to determine whether they measure up. We'll take a look at a state's
track record to determine whether the steps they've taken have had real results when it comes to their students' education. We'll take a look at
whether states are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach when it comes to reform. And in particular, we'll take a look at how states are doing
when it comes to four key measures of reform.
And I want to get into some details about this because I want you, as parents, as well as the educators, to understand what the data and the
science and the studies and the research show actually make a big difference in terms of school improvement — because that's what we are
basing this stuff on. We didn’t just kind of make it up, didn’t just do it because it sounded good, this is what the research shows is really going to
make a difference.
The first measure is whether a state is committed to setting higher standards and better assessments that prepare our children to succeed in the
21st century. And I'm pleased to report that 48 states are now working to develop internationally competitive standards — internationally
competitive standards because these young people are going to be growing up in an international environment where they're competing not just
against kids in Chicago or Los Angeles for jobs, but they're competing against folks in Beijing and Bangalore.
This is something I called for earlier this year, and I want to commend the leadership of the governors and school chiefs who've joined together
to get this done. And because of these efforts, there will be a set of common standards that any state can adopt, beginning early next year. And I
urge all our states to do so and to upgrade what's taught in the classroom accordingly to meet these international standards.
I also challenge states to align their assessments with high standards — because we should — we should not just raise the bar, we should
prepare our kids to meet it. There's no point in having really high standards but we're not doing what it takes to meet those standards. And I want
to be clear. This is not just about more tests, because I know that in the past people have been concerned about, you know, is this about
standardized tests, or are we going to have our young people being taught to the test? That's the last thing we want.
But what we want to do — what we want to do is finally get testing right. So it's not about more tests, it's about being smarter about our
assessments. It's about measuring not only whether our kids can master the basics, but whether they can solve challenging tasks, do they have
the skills like critical thinking and teamwork and entrepreneurship; assessments that don't just give us a snapshot of how a student is doing in a
particular subject, but a big picture look at how they're learning overall; and assessments that will help tell us if our kids have the knowledge
and the skills to thrive when they graduate.
So we're not just interested in can they fill out a bubble. What we want to do is to take a look generally — are kids learning and gaining the
critical thinking skills that they need to succeed. Now, these are the kinds of assessments that our states should be putting in place, and we're
setting up a separate competition where they can win grants, extra grants to help them do just that.
So, standards and assessments, that's the first measure; are we doing that well? If the state wants to get a Race to the Top grant, they've got to do
that well. And because we know that from the moment our kids enter a school, the most important factor in their success — other than their
parents — is the person standing in front of the classroom, the teacher. The second measure is whether a state is committed to putting effective
teachers in its classrooms and effective principals at the helm of its schools.
Now, it's time to start taking this commitment seriously. We've got to do a better job recruiting and preparing new teachers. We've got to do a
better job of rewarding outstanding teachers. And I've got to be honest, we've got to do a better job of moving bad teachers out of the classroom,
once they've been given an opportunity to do it right.
And that means creating alternate pathways to teaching for talented young people by expanding programs like the one used in Boston, where
aspiring teachers work side-by-side with effective mentors in a year-long residency. It means bringing quality teachers in — it means bringing
quality teachers to the neighborhoods that need them the most, because right now a lot of what happens is, is that some of the best teachers, as
they get seniority, they move on to the places — the school districts that pay better and, frankly, are easier to teach. And we've got to give them
some incentives to stay so that the kids who need the most help are getting some of the best teachers.
It means boosting the number — the numbers of quality teachers who can help our special education and English language learners meet high
standards — and you've done that here at Wright, so congratulations on that. It means improving instruction in science, technology, reading, math,
and ensuring that more women and people of color are doing well in those subjects. So that's the second — the second factor.
Third factor, third measure we'll use in this Race to the Top competition, is whether states are tracking the progress of our students and teachers
to make sure every child graduates ready for college and a career. So as I said earlier — as I said earlier, before a state can even apply for a
grant, it has to change any laws that prevent us from factoring in the performance of students when they're evaluating their teachers. But that's
not enough. If a state wants to increase its chances of actually winning a grant, it's going to have to do more. It's going to have to collect
information about how students are doing in a particular year and over the course of an academic career, and make this information available to
teachers so they can use it to improve the way they teach.
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. So if we're going to collect —- if we're going to collect data on how kids are doing, let's make sure the
teachers have it in usable form so that they can actually start doing a better job.
That's how teachers can determine what they should be doing differently in the classroom. That's how principals can determine what changes
need to be made in our schools. And that's how school districts can determine what they need to be doing better to prepare our teachers and
principals.
Now, even with stronger standards, better assessments, outstanding teachers, some schools will still be difficult to turn around. I want us to be
honest about this. There are some schools that are starting in a tough position — a lot of kids coming from impoverished backgrounds, a lot of
kids coming in that may have not gotten the kind of head start that they needed; they start school already behind. And even though there are
heroic teachers and principals in many of these schools, the fact is that they need some extra help.
And that's why the fourth measure we'll use in awarding Race to the Top grants is whether a state is focused on transforming not just its high-
performing schools, not just the middle-of-the-pack schools, but the lowest-performing schools. We'll look at whether they're willing to remake a
school from top to bottom with new leaders and a new way of teaching, replacing a school's principal if it's not working, and at least half its staff,
close a school for a time and then reopen it under new management, even shut down the school entirely and send its students to a better school
nearby.
There are always excuses for why these schools can't perform. But part of 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.
So these are the kinds of vigorous strategies that are necessary to turn around our most troubled schools: transforming our lowest-performing
schools; using timely information to improve the way we teach our children; outstanding teachers and principals in our classrooms and our
schools that are getting the support they need; higher standards and better assessments that prepare our kids for life beyond a classroom. These
are the challenges, the four challenges that states have to take up if they want to win a Race to the Top award.
And these are the four challenges that our country has to meet for our children to outcompete workers around the world, for our economy to grow
and to prosper, and for America to lead in the 21st century.
Now, let me just close by saying this — I've said this before, but I never miss an opportunity to impress this upon an audience. Lifting up
American education is not a task for government alone. It will take parents getting more involved; it will take parents getting more involved in
their child's education. It will take schools doing more to reach out with parents. It will take students — students — accepting more responsibility
for their own education.
I was explaining to them that education is not saying where, you know, you just tilt your ear and you just pour it in your ear. You've got to be an
active participant in wanting to get an education.
These aren’t in my prepared remarks, but I think it's important to note that Malia and Sasha are just wonderful kids, and Michelle is a wonderful
mother. But in our own household, with all the privileges and opportunities that we have, there are times — look, there are times when kids slack
off. There are times where they would rather be watching TV or playing a computer game than hitting the books. And part of our job as parents —-
Michelle and my job — is not just to tell our kids what to do, but to start instilling in them a sense that they want to do it for themselves.
So Malia came home the other day. She had gotten a 73 on her science test. Now, she's a 6th grader. There was a time a couple years ago when
she came home with like an 80-something and she said, "I did pretty well." And I said, "No, no, no. That's" — I said, "Our goal is" — "Our goal is
90 percent and up."
Here is the interesting thing. She started internalizing that. So she came and she was depressed, "I got a 73." And I said, "Well, what happened?"
"Well, the teacher — the study guide didn't match up with what was on the test." "So what's your idea here?" "Well, I'm going to start — I've got to
read the whole chapter. I'm going to change how I study, how I approach it." So she came home yesterday, she was — "I got a 95" — right? — so
she's high-fiving.
But here's the point. She said — she said, "I just like having knowledge." That's what she said. And what was happening was she had started
wanting it more than us. Now, once you get to that point, our kids are on their way. But the only way they get to that point is if we're helping them
get to that point.
So it's going to take that kind of effort from parents to set a high bar in the household. Don't just expect teachers to set a high bar. You've got to
set a high bar in the household all across America.
It will take teachers unions and parents and elected leaders working together as partners in common effort — not seeing each other as
antagonists, but all of us having the same goal. It will take each and every one of us doing our part on behalf of our children and our country and
the future that we share.
I'll never forget a moment many years ago — this is long before I ran for President, before I ran for elected office. I was just starting out as a
community organizer in Chicago. And we had set up a meeting to figure out how to rebuild our neighborhoods that I was working in — very
impoverished neighborhoods on the South Side. And nobody showed up to the meeting. This is my first big meeting —- nobody showed up. So I
was pretty depressed. I had some community leaders, some volunteers who had helped me try to organize this thing, and they were depressed.
They felt so defeated they were talking about quitting. Everybody was too apathetic, they said, there's no point in trying.
But then, I looked outside as I was listening to them talk and I saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street, and they were just
throwing rocks at an old apartment building that was boarded up. And those boys reminded me of me, who didn't have a father in the house and
who had gotten in some trouble when he was young. And I turned to those volunteers and I said, "Before we quit, I want to ask you a question.
What's going to happen to those boys if we quit, if we give up on them?" And I thought, if we can't see that we have got a stake in those young
boys, if we're not willing to do our part on their behalf, if we fail to recognize that the fight for their future is the fight for our own future, well, who
is going to do it?
So one by one, those volunteers, they stayed. Family by family, we reached out to the community. Slowly people started coming to meetings.
Block by block, we helped to turn those neighborhoods around and helped to improve some of those schools in the area.
And that's the common spirit — the spirit of common purpose, that all of us have to have in America today. And I'm absolutely confident that if
we're all willing to come together and embrace that spirit — in the living room, in the classroom, and the State House, on Capitol Hill — then not
only will we see our students reaching farther, not only will we see our schools performing better, not only are we going to help ensure our
children outcompete workers abroad and that America outcompetes nations, but we're going to protect the dream of our founding and give all of
our children, every last one of them, a fair chance and an equal start in the race to life.
Thank you very much, everybody. All right. Thank you. God bless, and God bless the United States of America.
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AND SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN
IN DISCUSSION WITH STUDENTS
James C. Wright Middle School
Madison, Wisconsin
1:05 P.M. CST
SECRETARY DUNCAN: Well, we're thrilled to be here and this is a school that's getting better and better, and
you guys are working really, really hard. And we've been lucky. We have a President here who has got a
tough, tough job. Being President is tough without the — he's fighting two wars, a really, really tough
economy — I like your shirt.
STUDENT: Thanks.
SECRETARY DUNCAN: And what amazes me is that week after week, month after month, he just keeps
coming back to education, and he's absolutely passionate about it. He and his wife, the First Lady Michelle
Obama, received great educations. Neither one was born with a lot of money, but they worked really hard and
had great teachers and great principals and made the most of it. And now he's our President. So it's a pretty
remarkable journey. The only reason he's the President is because he got a great education.
AND SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN
IN DISCUSSION WITH STUDENTS
James C. Wright Middle School
Madison, Wisconsin
1:05 P.M. CST
SECRETARY DUNCAN: Well, we're thrilled to be here and this is a school that's getting better and better, and
you guys are working really, really hard. And we've been lucky. We have a President here who has got a
tough, tough job. Being President is tough without the — he's fighting two wars, a really, really tough
economy — I like your shirt.
STUDENT: Thanks.
SECRETARY DUNCAN: And what amazes me is that week after week, month after month, he just keeps
coming back to education, and he's absolutely passionate about it. He and his wife, the First Lady Michelle
Obama, received great educations. Neither one was born with a lot of money, but they worked really hard and
had great teachers and great principals and made the most of it. And now he's our President. So it's a pretty
remarkable journey. The only reason he's the President is because he got a great education.