1 00:00:05,046 --> 00:00:07,090 The President: Over the last few weeks, I've been making the case that we 2 00:00:07,090 --> 00:00:10,063 need to act now on the American Jobs Act, 3 00:00:10,063 --> 00:00:13,043 so we can put folks back to work and start building an economy 4 00:00:13,043 --> 00:00:16,000 that lasts into the future. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,096 Education is an essential part of this economic agenda. 6 00:00:19,096 --> 00:00:23,019 It is an undeniable fact that countries who out-educate us 7 00:00:23,019 --> 00:00:26,019 today will out-compete us tomorrow. 8 00:00:26,019 --> 00:00:28,069 Businesses will hire wherever the highly-skilled and 9 00:00:28,069 --> 00:00:31,006 highly-trained workers are located. 10 00:00:31,006 --> 00:00:33,093 But today, our students are sliding against their peers 11 00:00:33,093 --> 00:00:35,063 around the globe. 12 00:00:35,063 --> 00:00:38,050 Today, our kids trail too many other countries in math and 13 00:00:38,050 --> 00:00:40,079 science and reading. 14 00:00:40,079 --> 00:00:42,050 As many as a quarter of our students aren't even 15 00:00:42,050 --> 00:00:44,010 finishing high school. 16 00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:47,023 And we've fallen to 16th in the proportion of our young people 17 00:00:47,023 --> 00:00:51,013 with a college degree, even though we know that 60% of new 18 00:00:51,013 --> 00:00:53,066 jobs in the coming decade will require more than a high 19 00:00:53,066 --> 00:00:55,026 school diploma. 20 00:00:55,026 --> 00:00:57,053 What this means is that if we're serious about building an 21 00:00:57,053 --> 00:01:01,023 economy that lasts -- an economy in which hard work pays off with 22 00:01:01,023 --> 00:01:04,033 the opportunity for solid middle class jobs -- 23 00:01:04,033 --> 00:01:06,083 we had better be serious about education. 24 00:01:06,083 --> 00:01:10,043 We have to pick up our game and raise our standards. 25 00:01:10,043 --> 00:01:12,059 As a nation, we have an obligation to make sure that all 26 00:01:12,059 --> 00:01:15,020 children have the resources they need to learn -- 27 00:01:15,020 --> 00:01:18,043 quality schools, good teachers, the latest textbooks and the 28 00:01:18,043 --> 00:01:20,006 right technology. 29 00:01:20,006 --> 00:01:22,070 That's why the jobs bill I sent to Congress would put tens of 30 00:01:22,070 --> 00:01:26,026 thousands of teachers back to work across the country, 31 00:01:26,026 --> 00:01:29,046 and modernize at least 35,000 schools. 32 00:01:29,046 --> 00:01:32,076 That's why Congress should pass that bill right now. 33 00:01:32,076 --> 00:01:35,066 But money alone won't solve our education problems. 34 00:01:35,066 --> 00:01:37,066 We also need reform. 35 00:01:37,066 --> 00:01:40,006 We need to make sure that every classroom is a place of high 36 00:01:40,006 --> 00:01:42,083 expectations and high performance. 37 00:01:42,083 --> 00:01:45,059 That's been our vision since taking office. 38 00:01:45,059 --> 00:01:48,029 And that's why instead of just pouring money into the system 39 00:01:48,029 --> 00:01:51,029 that wasn't working, we launched a competition called Race 40 00:01:51,029 --> 00:01:52,093 to the Top. 41 00:01:52,093 --> 00:01:55,063 To all 50 states, we said, "If you show us the most 42 00:01:55,063 --> 00:01:58,020 innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student 43 00:01:58,020 --> 00:02:00,093 achievement, we'll show you the money." 44 00:02:00,093 --> 00:02:04,043 For less than 1% of what we spend on education each year, 45 00:02:04,043 --> 00:02:07,016 Race to the Top has led states across the country to raise 46 00:02:07,016 --> 00:02:09,086 their standards for teaching and learning. 47 00:02:09,086 --> 00:02:12,036 These standards were developed, not by Washington, 48 00:02:12,036 --> 00:02:14,096 but by Republican and Democratic governors throughout 49 00:02:14,096 --> 00:02:16,036 the country. 50 00:02:16,036 --> 00:02:19,019 And since then, we have seen what's possible when reform 51 00:02:19,019 --> 00:02:23,009 isn't just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers 52 00:02:23,009 --> 00:02:27,006 and principals; school boards and communities. 53 00:02:27,006 --> 00:02:29,066 That's why in my State of the Union address this year, 54 00:02:29,066 --> 00:02:33,053 I said to Congress, you need to reform the No Child Left Behind 55 00:02:33,053 --> 00:02:35,093 law based on the same principles that have guided 56 00:02:35,093 --> 00:02:38,036 Race to the Top. 57 00:02:38,036 --> 00:02:41,080 While the goals behind No Child Left Behind were admirable, 58 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,050 experience has taught us that the law has some serious flaws 59 00:02:44,050 --> 00:02:47,050 that are hurting our children instead of helping them. 60 00:02:47,050 --> 00:02:50,019 Teachers are being forced to teach to the test, 61 00:02:50,019 --> 00:02:53,046 while subjects like history and science are being squeezed out. 62 00:02:53,046 --> 00:02:55,080 And in order to avoid having their schools labeled as 63 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,030 failures, some states lowered their standards in a race to 64 00:02:59,030 --> 00:03:00,063 the bottom. 65 00:03:00,063 --> 00:03:03,000 These problems have been obvious to parents and educators all 66 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,053 over this country for years. 67 00:03:05,053 --> 00:03:08,073 But for years, Congress has failed to fix them. 68 00:03:08,073 --> 00:03:11,000 So now, I will. 69 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,086 Our kids only get one shot at a decent education. 70 00:03:13,086 --> 00:03:16,023 And they can't afford to wait any longer. 71 00:03:16,023 --> 00:03:18,093 So yesterday, I announced that we'll be giving states more 72 00:03:18,093 --> 00:03:21,009 flexibility to meet high standards for teaching 73 00:03:21,009 --> 00:03:22,050 and learning. 74 00:03:22,050 --> 00:03:25,053 It's time for us to let states and schools and teachers come up 75 00:03:25,053 --> 00:03:28,069 with innovative ways to give our children the skills they need to 76 00:03:28,069 --> 00:03:31,046 compete for the jobs of the future. 77 00:03:31,046 --> 00:03:33,043 This will make a huge difference in the lives of students all 78 00:03:33,043 --> 00:03:35,043 across the country. 79 00:03:35,043 --> 00:03:37,096 For example, yesterday, I was with Ricci Hall, 80 00:03:37,096 --> 00:03:41,023 the principal of a school in Worcester, Massachusetts. 81 00:03:41,023 --> 00:03:43,069 Every single student who graduated from Ricci's school in 82 00:03:43,069 --> 00:03:46,046 the last three years went on to college. 83 00:03:46,046 --> 00:03:48,043 But because they didn't meet the standards of No Child Left 84 00:03:48,043 --> 00:03:53,030 Behind, Ricci's school was labeled as failing last year. 85 00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:56,046 That will change because of what we did yesterday. 86 00:03:56,046 --> 00:03:58,053 From now on, we'll be able to encourage the progress at 87 00:03:58,053 --> 00:04:00,033 schools like Ricci's. 88 00:04:00,033 --> 00:04:02,006 From now on, people like John Becker, 89 00:04:02,006 --> 00:04:03,080 who teaches at one of the highest-performing middle 90 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,093 schools in D.C., will be able to focus on teaching his 4th 91 00:04:06,093 --> 00:04:10,033 graders math in ways that improves their performance 92 00:04:10,033 --> 00:04:12,073 instead of just teaching to a test. 93 00:04:12,073 --> 00:04:16,033 Superintendents like Dave Estrop from Ohio will be able to focus 94 00:04:16,033 --> 00:04:19,003 on improving teaching and learning in his district instead 95 00:04:19,003 --> 00:04:21,056 of spending all his time on bureaucratic mandates from 96 00:04:21,056 --> 00:04:24,089 Washington that don't get results. 97 00:04:24,089 --> 00:04:27,073 This isn't just the right thing to do for our kids -- 98 00:04:27,073 --> 00:04:31,030 it's the right thing to do for our country, and our future. 99 00:04:31,030 --> 00:04:34,016 It's time to put our teachers back on the job. 100 00:04:34,016 --> 00:04:37,006 It's time to rebuild and modernize our schools. 101 00:04:37,006 --> 00:04:40,013 And it's time to raise our standards, up our game, 102 00:04:40,013 --> 00:04:43,053 and do everything it takes to prepare our children to succeed 103 00:04:43,053 --> 00:04:45,073 in the global economy. 104 00:04:45,073 --> 00:04:49,043 Now is the time to once again make our education system the 105 00:04:49,043 --> 00:04:51,063 envy of the world. 106 00:04:51,063 --> 99:59:59,999 Thanks for listening.