Obama Weekly Address: Education Agenda Helps Students, Jobless (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says kids and the economy will benefit from the changes he's making in education policy and his plan to spend billions to upgrade schools and keep teachers on the job.

Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday to push his $447 billion jobs bill through the prism of education. He recapped steps he has authorized to let states opt out of unpopular proficiency standards because Congress has been slow to update the existing law.

"If we're serious about building an economy that lasts, an economy in which hard work pays off with the opportunity for solid middle-class jobs, we had better be serious about education," Obama said. "We have to pick up our game and raise our standards."

Obama said the package of tax cuts and direct spending he has sent to Congress would put tens of thousands of teachers back to work and modernize at least 35,000 schools. He called on lawmakers to pass the bill "right now," as he does on frequent trips outside of Washington to build public support for it. But the bill received a cool reception on Capitol Hill and it could be weeks before lawmakers even begin to debate it.

He said that the 2001 No Child Left Behind education law was well-meaning but has serious flaws that are hurting schoolchildren and that he took action to fix the problems because Congress has yet to do so.

"Our kids only get one shot at a decent education. And they can't afford to wait any longer," Obama said.

He announced steps Friday to let states scrap a requirement that all children show they are proficient in reading and math by 2014. But states can opt out only if they meet certain conditions, such as imposing their own standards to prepare students for college and careers and setting evaluation standards for teachers and principals.

"This isn't just the right thing to do for our kids, it's the right thing to do for our country and our future," Obama said.

In the weekly Republican message, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine called for a "timeout" on federal regulations that many in her party say are hurting the economy and keeping small businesses from expanding and creating much-needed jobs.

She promoted ideas for taming what she called a "regulatory behemoth," including requiring agencies to consider the costs and benefits of any new regulation before it is imposed. She also suggested putting certain costly new rules on hold for one year.

"In sports, a timeout gives athletes a chance to catch their breaths and make better decisions," Collins said. "American workers and businesses are the athletes in a global competition that we must win. We need a timeout from excessive regulations so that America can get back to work."

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Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/gopweeklyaddress

Comments

[Jerry Lammers]

11:36 AM on 09/27/2011

If we want Education to work, it must be focused on EDUCATION, and not expanding the educational work force. Hence, we need to kick everything out of the schools that either doesn't work or distracts from the core mission of developing a basic set of academic skills. There are too many pep rallies, too many assemblies, too many clubs, too many sports, too many dances, etc. The core curriculum is pretty obvious: History, Geography, English, Math, Science. The rest is unnecessary clutter.

The schools should kick out all sports, physical education (the obesity epdemic shows it doesn't work), all clubs, art, drama and music. This would allow massive shrinkage of school staffs, school construction, and allow the schools to focus their resources on teachers that teach essential skills. Sports can be community based at all ages (just like little league) with programs run by voluteers. With savings from the school budget, communities should set up progams for art, music, drama, etc. for those children that are interested.

With the distractions removed, students could cover more subject matter in fewer days even if the school day was reduced by 20%.

[Jens Hauge]

08:20 PM on 09/27/2011

Sadly I think the obesity epidemic would get worse and we would have a country of robots. Most people would say, "We're too busy working long days. Let the kids fend for themselves." Kids who come from families with money would do alright though. Then the rich could stay rich and the poor people would be even more screwed. I think cutting jobs is a great idea too, especially in our economy. More jobless people = better economics, right.

[LearningCommunity]

09:18 AM on 09/26/2011

Obama said, "We have to pick up our game and raise our standards."

I disagree! We should not "raise our standards." We should "change our standards."

The new standard should be: everyone in the community contributes to the growth of the community in the best way for each individual. And it is up to the education process to figure out how to maximize the individual’s contributions.

The reason education is failing today is that the standards are fixed around a 19th century view of people and society. This view sees people as standard products on an assembly line, where the parts are interchangeable. This view sees everyone the same and that if the part does not fit, then it is the individuals fault not the assembly line’s fault. And if the part doesn’t fit, just use a bigger hammer to force the part into the product.

But people are not “standard.” Everyone is slightly different and many are largely different. Applying the same standards to everyone is a recipe for failure; as we've seen.

In today’s computer based world we have the capability to individualize education. We need to take advantage of our computer and Internet to create "Cloud Instruction" designed individualized curriculum for each learner. We need to build Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) to connect each student to the best mentors and instruction. And we need to blend online and onsite instruction to maximize learning opportunities.

[Genders]

03:30 PM on 09/25/2011

Such pretty talk. Now that there is no chance his big money backers will be upset by any of them passing the GOP house.

Obama caved. He caved on the environment, Caved on the bush tax cuts, the 14th amendment prevention of the Debt ceiling extortion, and the 3 day recess appointments. Obama and gang are DLC Reaganomics loving sellouts. The Obama DLC are enablers of the GOP agenda because they sold their souls to get elected. They are Reagan democrats, moderate republicans if you will. AKA New democrats, pragmatic Progressive, Blue dogs, New American Foundation, Progressive Policy Council, Third Way.

Vote for the Kucinich type CPC progressive Caucus folks,The Progressive Democrats of America, in the primaries, and the dems in the general. Stop being fooled by the pretty faces.

[CASSIE60]

03:33 PM on 09/25/2011

In Plan English, why do we need to keep up the facade of a Primarily 2 Party system...right?

They really are both one in the same!

[Genders]

03:39 PM on 09/25/2011

No, sorry I didn't say it clearly enough.

The GOP/Tea and the DLC are sold out.

But NOT most of the CPC progressives, the Kucinich folks.

Vote for them in the primaries, while you still have a vote.

[LearningCommunity]

09:24 AM on 09/26/2011

Genders, I'm not sure I agree with you on a couple of things.

The fact that so many disagree with you on basic economics may mean you are wrong. I'm not saying you are wrong. I actually probably agree with you. But why did Obama cave. Why do so many dems cave. Are they idiots? I don't think so.

Perhaps the problem is that we, as a community, are not talking about the right things. Perhaps we are too busy promoting our own voices that we are failing to hear the truth in other people's voices.

The question becomes what is the optimal size of government? What is the optimal taxing and tariffing amount? What is the best way to elect regulators and manage a complex community.

The discussions should not be trying to win a debate. The discussions should be about finding the best solutions.

[CASSIE60]

02:39 PM on 09/25/2011

My husband retired from MIT and I am also retired from a major University. We have 5 adult children.

One is an illustrator for medical books because he was only interested in drawing so we encouraged him.

One is a Food and Banquet Manager and a culinary school graduate because she loved cooking so, we encouraged her.

Our oldest writes screen plays because she always liked to write and her stint in the Military.

That is all am i saying encourage the interests of kids and they will do a lot better than indoctrinating them.

[LearningCommunity]

09:28 AM on 09/26/2011

Cassie, exactly.

And while you are teaching someone about art or cooking, you can teach math and science. You can teach management and reading.

Rather than look at people as products on an assembly line, where you force the individual to accept the education being presented, treat people has individuals and force the education to fit the individual.

Does this make any sense?

[CASSIE60]

12:33 PM on 09/25/2011

Obviously people need the basics, however if a child has a natural inclinations for fixing cars then the emphasis should be on that.

if the like to make things then maybe the emphasis should be on Carpentry, not singing or, athletics or, social studies.

If a child can complete their work and move forward in class, they should not be forced to sit still and wait for the rest of the class to catch up. That holds that child back.

These are some of the alternatives that come to my mind. Some children excel on oral test, yet they are graded and fail written test. That should be taken into consideration.

[CASSIE60]

11:44 AM on 09/25/2011

Some of the greats minds and achievers of the 20th Century had very little to no formal education. That is always missed when it comes to planning for how to educate children.

Bill Gates dropped out of College to pursue his goals. Education is NOT a one size fits all but, the "standardize measurement" tries to make one agenda fit everyone. It an abject failure.

[Michaela19762]

11:49 AM on 09/25/2011

What are your ideas or alternatives ?

[CASSIE60]

12:24 PM on 09/25/2011

To accentuate the positives in the children and teach them the skills necessary to compete today. Some of the curriculum was fine for the 20th Century but not now.

Example, unless your are going to become an Architect, you don't really need geometry regular math will do.

Teaching children skills that are not germane to what their goals are, are redundant and useless.

America needs Technological Training for the devices we use today. Why do you need Chemistry if your field is not going to be Medical Research or in that field period?

Find out what the children are interested in, what their goals are and then go from there.

[Eric Mann]

01:01 PM on 09/25/2011

He dropped out to work with other people of his caliber. But guess what got them together in the first place-GOING TO COLLEGE. That means they did well in school initially.
He went to a private prep school, and was in Harvard-HARVARD! when he met those other brilliant minds and together they created what is now Microsoft. No way he could have made it there had he not done well in formal education to begin with.

That said, I totally agree with you that the current movement to standardize everything is killing the best parts of education here in the US. I teach at a charter school that does not follow the standardization routine lockstep like many others do. I hope we do not get crushed beneath the wheel of standardization like I have seen happen to some.

[CASSIE60]

01:47 PM on 09/25/2011

If standardization was the key every person who every went to school would be successful at something and yet we do know that is not the case.

Yes I know Gates went to HARVARD, which means he had to have had some modicum of intelligence, which is why he knew he could make money from this new ( computer) thing and did not need to graduate Harvard.

However, the Majority (68%) of Americans as you know are not Harvard Material because they are only average. These are the people I am referring to who could benefit from skills training more so than Academia!

[CASSIE60]

11:16 AM on 09/25/2011

It's very interesting and telling as to the "real" interests of the people in America.

There are thousands of posters for the political and other articles, yet less than four hundred about the Educational Problems America has.

Fascinating!

,,,and one of my posts was never post on period.

[CASSIE60]

11:05 AM on 09/25/2011

My greatest joy as a teacher was having former successful students approach me and say thank you for caring and teaching us to THINK.

For teaching us to understand that education is an on going process and learning never stops. For helping us to understand that there is no shame in wanting to be the best at what ever it is you do.

That was my reward as a teacher! The success of my students, and knowing they will transfer that knowledge to their children.

[daughterusmc]

07:53 AM on 09/26/2011

And you think you are unique? That everyone else is hellbent on indoctrination and squelching creativity, but you are the beacon of creativity and critical thought...it seems, having read your posts, that you do...

[Spiggy]

10:43 AM on 09/25/2011

This is the kind of news that gets the GOP frightened. They rely on the ignorant and uneducated to vote them in every election cycle.

[LearningCommunity]

10:13 AM on 09/25/2011

There’s a concept in business called "core competency." Your core competency is something you do better than your competitors.

It’s critical we make education one of our key core competencies in order to compete in today’s information rich, ever changing, and fast moving world. An educational system of forced conformity to a static belief system is not the optimal educational system. A thriving community employs an education system that prepares the next generation to find solutions that work for them and the unique problems they face. A community that’s a “learning community” and changes with the learning will be better able to deal with the world around them than a community that fights change.

My point here is that there is a movement in the world today, as exampled by Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann (but also seen in some Muslim Madrasahs), that believes in a fixed book of static words as the foundation of their education system. To them, it’s not about discovering new knowledge to find new solutions to the new problems faced by their community, it’s about indoctrination, conformity, and obedience. They don’t want find to new answers, they want to force the next generation to accept the answers written down 2,000 years ago.

They say even a broken clock is right twice a day. A community that does not learn might be successful by following a set course occasionally. But if the winds and tides of change blow that community off course, then they’re lost.

[SoCalifTeacher]

08:54 AM on 09/25/2011

Blah, blah, blah, teachers will still lose their jobs. Blah, blah, blah, over half the classrooms at my school will still be trailers. Blah, blah, blah, most of the welfare parents at my school will still have a higher standard of living than the teachers.

[stopnlisten]

01:17 PM on 09/25/2011

You need to change your profession. You have been effectively jaded.

[ackeegrl]

12:22 AM on 09/26/2011

lol...not it's called being realistic.......

[emphatico]

12:06 AM on 09/25/2011

Do people still listen to this crap (and the Republican one as well)? YOU. Mr President, are the one to pick up your game. It seems you are just realizing how big a failure your administration has been during the election kick-off season. Had high approval ratings and huge majorities in both chambers, but wasted them on "bipartisanship" (even as the other side keeps saying they weren't gonna cooperate with him on anything), all because he wants everybody to like him.

Naivete at its worst.

[April22]

11:46 PM on 09/24/2011

How many more years are we going to hear how education in America is going to be remedied and continues to deteriorate?

If education were as important in Washington as war profiteering or shilling for multinational corporations, wouldn't higher education be free in America by now?

[Chris1962]

11:35 PM on 09/24/2011

>>>his plan to spend billions>>>

 What else is new.

[jumpinjohn011]

10:40 PM on 09/24/2011

When they graduate they can all get a job with Solyndra. oops; never mind!