Today, Obama spoke in Dayton about education in the twenty-first century. He started close to home, and ended with America's place in the global economy.
Yesterday was a special day around my house. It was back-to-school day for my girls. Sasha started second grade and Malia began 5th. I know Malia was really embarrassed when I walked her to the classroom, but I did it anyway because she’s still Daddy’s girl. And seeing them back at school was a reminder not only that another year had passed and that they’re growing up a little faster than I’d sometimes like. It was also a reminder of all the other parents who are dropping their children off at school, and all the other kids who are getting ready for another year of classes.
UPDATE: Video of the speech just below...
UPDATE: Here's the Video of the speech
(Seems to have been very well received with an enthusiastic audience)
He began by noting how difficult it is to change course, and how many words have already been said on the subject, with little action taken.
And that failure to act has put our nation in jeopardy.
Well, the day of reckoning is here. Our kids and our country can’t afford four more years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history, America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education in the coming years will shape our future for generations to come. They will help determine not only whether our children have the chance to fulfill their God-given potential, or whether our workers have the chance to build a better life for their families, but whether we, as a nation, will remain in the 21st century the kind of global economic leader that we were in the 20th century.
He points out things that are obvious to most people on this site, but it's concise and effective:
If we want to build a 21st century infrastructure and repair our crumbling roads and bridges, we can’t afford a future where a third of all 4th graders and a fifth of all 8th graders can’t do basic math, and black and Latino students are even further behind; where elementary school kids are only getting an average 25 minutes of science each day when over 80% of the fastest-growing jobs require some knowledge in math and science.
If we want to see middle class incomes rising like they did in the 1990’s, we can’t afford a future where so many Americans are priced out of college; where only 20 percent of our students are prepared to take college-level English, math, and science; where millions of jobs are going unfilled because Americans don’t have the skills to work them; and where barely one in ten low-income students will ever get their college degree.
That kind of future is economically untenable for America. It is morally unacceptable for our children. And it is not who we are as a nation.
He praises Lincoln for the land grant colleges, and Eisenhower for doubling federal investment in education. And then he questions McCain's leadership on education:
But that’s not the leadership we’ve been getting from Washington.
In the past few weeks, my opponent has taken to talking about the need for change and reform in Washington, where he has been part of the scene for about three decades.
And in those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing.
Instead, he marched with the ideologues in his party in opposing efforts to hire more teachers, and expand Head Start, and make college more affordable. You don’t reform our schools by opposing efforts to fully fund No Child Left Behind. And you certainly don’t reform our education system by calling to close the Department of Education. That would just make it harder for us to give out financial aid, harder for us to keep track of how our schools are doing, and lead to widening inequality in who gets a college degree.
That is not my idea of reform. That is not my idea of change. That is not a plan to help your kids compete with those kids in China and India.
After three decades of indifference on education, do you really believe that John McCain is going to make a difference now?
Obama's Plan
His plan focuses on investment in education, partly through a $4,000 tax credit in exchange for community service. He also praises the goals of No Child Left Behind, namely closing the the achievement gap in cities and rural areas, increasing standards and accountability.
But I’ll tell you what’s wrong with No Child Left Behind. Forcing our teachers, our principals, and our schools to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong. Promising high-quality teachers in every classroom and then leaving the support and the pay for those teachers behind is wrong. Labeling a school and its students as failures one day and then throwing your hands up and walking away from them the next is wrong.
He also stresses the need for innovation in education.
The second thing we need to do is make sure that we’re preparing our kids for the 21st century economy by bringing our school system into the 21st century. Part of what that means is fostering the kinds of schools that will help prepare our kids, which is why I’m calling for the creation of an Innovative Schools Fund. This fund will invest in schools like the Austin Polytechnical Academy, which is located in a part of Chicago that’s been hard hit by the decline in manufacturing over the past few decades. Thanks to partnerships with a number of companies, a curriculum that prepares students for a career in engineering, and a requirement that students graduate with at least two industry certifications, Austin Polytech is bringing hope back to the community. And that’s the kind of model we’ll replicate across the country when I’m President of the United States.
He talks about charter schools a little more than I would like, as a staunch supporter of public education. But it may be smart not to focus exclusively on the public education system. And he emphasizes the role of parents and family as he has done since his campaign began:
But in the end, responsibility for our children’s success doesn’t start in Washington. It starts in our homes. It starts in our families. Because no education policy can replace a parent who’s involved in their child’s education from day one, who makes sure their children are in school on time, helps them with their homework after dinner, and attends those parent-teacher conferences. No government program can turn off the TV, or put away the video games, or read to your children.
But we can help parents do a better job. That’s why I’ll create a parent report card that will show you whether your kid is on the path to college. We’ll help schools post student progress reports online so you can get a regular update on what kind of grades your child is getting on tests and quizzes from week to week. If your kid is falling behind, or playing hooky, or isn’t on track to go to college or compete for that good paying job, it will be up to you to do something about it.
And finally, he returns to his own story:
You know, when I dropped my daughters off at school yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about all America had done over the years to give me and my family a good education. This is a country that put my grandfather through college on the GI Bill after he left Patton’s Army. This is a country that drew my father – like so many immigrants – across an ocean in search of a college degree. And this is a country that let the child of a teenage mom and an absent father reach for his dreams.
Haven't found video for this yet, but I'm looking. For now, I'm off to make dinner but if it's still on the recent diaries list I'll add video when I'll update with links & video.