| 00:01:3624 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you so much. Everybody, please have a seat. Well, welcome to the White House, everybody. I see a whole bunch of people who are interested in... |
| 00:02:0031 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I want to recognize the person to my right, somebody who I think will end up being considered one of the finest Secretaries of Education we’ve ever... |
| 00:02:3125 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I also want to thank Governor Bill Haslam of Tennessee for taking the time to be here today, and the great work that he’s doing in Tennessee. I’m... |
| 00:02:5617 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And a good friend, somebody who I had the pleasure of serving with during the time that I was in the United States Senate, he is now the Governor of... |
| 00:03:1330 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you all for coming. And I do want to acknowledge two guys who’ve just worked tirelessly on behalf of education issues who happen to be in the... |
| 00:03:431 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Now, it is an undeniable fact that countries who out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow. But today, our students are sliding against... |
| 00:04:4418 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And what this means is if we’re serious about building an economy that lasts –- an economy in which hard work pays off with the opportunity for... |
| 00:05:021 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
We’re in the midst of an ongoing enormous economic challenge. And I spend a lot of my time thinking immediately about how we can put folks back to... |
| 00:06:0660 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Now, we all now that schools can’t do it alone. As parents, the task begins at home. It begins by turning off the TV and helping with homework,... |
| 00:07:0640 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
But as a nation, we also have an obligation to make sure that all of our children have the resources they need to learn, because they’re spending... |
| 00:07:4618 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Congress should pass that bill right now. We've got too many schools that are under-resourced, too many teachers who want to be in the classroom who... |
| 00:08:041 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
So parents have a role and schools need more resources. But money alone won’t solve our education problems. I’ve said this before, I will repeat... |
| 00:09:0858 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And for less than 1 percent of what we spend on education each year, Race to the Top, under Arne’s leadership, has led states across the country to... |
| 00:10:0613 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
This is why, in my State of the Union address this year, I said that Congress should reform the No Child Left Behind law based on the principles that... |
| 00:10:191 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
And I want to say the goals behind No Child Left Behind were admirable, and President Bush deserves credit for that. Higher standards are the right... |
| 00:11:3248 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And these problems have been obvious to parents and educators all over the country for years now. Despite the good intentions of some -- two of them... |
| 00:12:2049 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So starting today, we’ll be giving states more flexibility to meet high standards. Keep in mind, the change we’re making is not lowering standards;... |
| 00:13:0920 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Let me repeat. This does not mean that states will be able to lower their standards or escape accountability. In fact, the way we’ve structured... |
| 00:13:2915 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And already, 44 states –- led by some of the people on this stage –- have set higher standards and proposed new ways to get there -- because that’s... |
| 00:13:441 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Ricky Hall is the principal of a charter school in Worcester, Massachusetts. Where’s Ricky? Oh, Ricky’s not here. (Laughter.) He was -- there... |
| 00:14:5129 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Is John Becker here? He is? All right, here’s John. (Laughter.) I didn't think you were John. (Laughter.) John teaches at one of the highest-performing... |
| 00:15:2033 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We have superintendents like David Estrop from Springfield, Ohio -- right here. (Applause.) Dave will be able to focus on improving teaching and... |
| 00:15:5355 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So this isn’t just the right thing to do for our kids -– it’s the right thing to do for our country. We can’t afford to wait for an education... |
| 00:16:4832 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We’ve got a couple of students up on stage who are doing outstanding work because somebody in their schools is dedicated and committed every single... |
| 00:17:202 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
God bless you. God bless the United States of America. |
| 00:17:221 min. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you. (Applause.) |