WEBVTT 00:00:05.046 --> 00:00:07.090 The President: Over the last few weeks, I've been making the case that we 00:00:07.090 --> 00:00:10.063 need to act now on the American Jobs Act, 00:00:10.063 --> 00:00:13.043 so we can put folks back to work and start building an economy 00:00:13.043 --> 00:00:16.000 that lasts into the future. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:19.096 Education is an essential part of this economic agenda. 00:00:19.096 --> 00:00:23.019 It is an undeniable fact that countries who out-educate us 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:26.019 today will out-compete us tomorrow. 00:00:26.019 --> 00:00:28.069 Businesses will hire wherever the highly-skilled and 00:00:28.069 --> 00:00:31.006 highly-trained workers are located. 00:00:31.006 --> 00:00:33.093 But today, our students are sliding against their peers 00:00:33.093 --> 00:00:35.063 around the globe. 00:00:35.063 --> 00:00:38.050 Today, our kids trail too many other countries in math and 00:00:38.050 --> 00:00:40.079 science and reading. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:42.050 As many as a quarter of our students aren't even 00:00:42.050 --> 00:00:44.010 finishing high school. 00:00:44.010 --> 00:00:47.023 And we've fallen to 16th in the proportion of our young people 00:00:47.023 --> 00:00:51.013 with a college degree, even though we know that 60% of new 00:00:51.013 --> 00:00:53.066 jobs in the coming decade will require more than a high 00:00:53.066 --> 00:00:55.026 school diploma. 00:00:55.026 --> 00:00:57.053 What this means is that if we're serious about building an 00:00:57.053 --> 00:01:01.023 economy that lasts -- an economy in which hard work pays off with 00:01:01.023 --> 00:01:04.033 the opportunity for solid middle class jobs -- 00:01:04.033 --> 00:01:06.083 we had better be serious about education. 00:01:06.083 --> 00:01:10.043 We have to pick up our game and raise our standards. 00:01:10.043 --> 00:01:12.059 As a nation, we have an obligation to make sure that all 00:01:12.059 --> 00:01:15.020 children have the resources they need to learn -- 00:01:15.020 --> 00:01:18.043 quality schools, good teachers, the latest textbooks and the 00:01:18.043 --> 00:01:20.006 right technology. 00:01:20.006 --> 00:01:22.070 That's why the jobs bill I sent to Congress would put tens of 00:01:22.070 --> 00:01:26.026 thousands of teachers back to work across the country, 00:01:26.026 --> 00:01:29.046 and modernize at least 35,000 schools. 00:01:29.046 --> 00:01:32.076 That's why Congress should pass that bill right now. 00:01:32.076 --> 00:01:35.066 But money alone won't solve our education problems. 00:01:35.066 --> 00:01:37.066 We also need reform. 00:01:37.066 --> 00:01:40.006 We need to make sure that every classroom is a place of high 00:01:40.006 --> 00:01:42.083 expectations and high performance. 00:01:42.083 --> 00:01:45.059 That's been our vision since taking office. 00:01:45.059 --> 00:01:48.029 And that's why instead of just pouring money into the system 00:01:48.029 --> 00:01:51.029 that wasn't working, we launched a competition called Race 00:01:51.029 --> 00:01:52.093 to the Top. 00:01:52.093 --> 00:01:55.063 To all 50 states, we said, "If you show us the most 00:01:55.063 --> 00:01:58.020 innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student 00:01:58.020 --> 00:02:00.093 achievement, we'll show you the money." 00:02:00.093 --> 00:02:04.043 For less than 1% of what we spend on education each year, 00:02:04.043 --> 00:02:07.016 Race to the Top has led states across the country to raise 00:02:07.016 --> 00:02:09.086 their standards for teaching and learning. 00:02:09.086 --> 00:02:12.036 These standards were developed, not by Washington, 00:02:12.036 --> 00:02:14.096 but by Republican and Democratic governors throughout 00:02:14.096 --> 00:02:16.036 the country. 00:02:16.036 --> 00:02:19.019 And since then, we have seen what's possible when reform 00:02:19.019 --> 00:02:23.009 isn't just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:27.006 and principals; school boards and communities. 00:02:27.006 --> 00:02:29.066 That's why in my State of the Union address this year, 00:02:29.066 --> 00:02:33.053 I said to Congress, you need to reform the No Child Left Behind 00:02:33.053 --> 00:02:35.093 law based on the same principles that have guided 00:02:35.093 --> 00:02:38.036 Race to the Top. 00:02:38.036 --> 00:02:41.080 While the goals behind No Child Left Behind were admirable, 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:44.050 experience has taught us that the law has some serious flaws 00:02:44.050 --> 00:02:47.050 that are hurting our children instead of helping them. 00:02:47.050 --> 00:02:50.019 Teachers are being forced to teach to the test, 00:02:50.019 --> 00:02:53.046 while subjects like history and science are being squeezed out. 00:02:53.046 --> 00:02:55.080 And in order to avoid having their schools labeled as 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:59.030 failures, some states lowered their standards in a race to 00:02:59.030 --> 00:03:00.063 the bottom. 00:03:00.063 --> 00:03:03.000 These problems have been obvious to parents and educators all 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.053 over this country for years. 00:03:05.053 --> 00:03:08.073 But for years, Congress has failed to fix them. 00:03:08.073 --> 00:03:11.000 So now, I will. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:13.086 Our kids only get one shot at a decent education. 00:03:13.086 --> 00:03:16.023 And they can't afford to wait any longer. 00:03:16.023 --> 00:03:18.093 So yesterday, I announced that we'll be giving states more 00:03:18.093 --> 00:03:21.009 flexibility to meet high standards for teaching 00:03:21.009 --> 00:03:22.050 and learning. 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:25.053 It's time for us to let states and schools and teachers come up 00:03:25.053 --> 00:03:28.069 with innovative ways to give our children the skills they need to 00:03:28.069 --> 00:03:31.046 compete for the jobs of the future. 00:03:31.046 --> 00:03:33.043 This will make a huge difference in the lives of students all 00:03:33.043 --> 00:03:35.043 across the country. 00:03:35.043 --> 00:03:37.096 For example, yesterday, I was with Ricci Hall, 00:03:37.096 --> 00:03:41.023 the principal of a school in Worcester, Massachusetts. 00:03:41.023 --> 00:03:43.069 Every single student who graduated from Ricci's school in 00:03:43.069 --> 00:03:46.046 the last three years went on to college. 00:03:46.046 --> 00:03:48.043 But because they didn't meet the standards of No Child Left 00:03:48.043 --> 00:03:53.030 Behind, Ricci's school was labeled as failing last year. 00:03:53.030 --> 00:03:56.046 That will change because of what we did yesterday. 00:03:56.046 --> 00:03:58.053 From now on, we'll be able to encourage the progress at 00:03:58.053 --> 00:04:00.033 schools like Ricci's. 00:04:00.033 --> 00:04:02.006 From now on, people like John Becker, 00:04:02.006 --> 00:04:03.080 who teaches at one of the highest-performing middle 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.093 schools in D.C., will be able to focus on teaching his 4th 00:04:06.093 --> 00:04:10.033 graders math in ways that improves their performance 00:04:10.033 --> 00:04:12.073 instead of just teaching to a test. 00:04:12.073 --> 00:04:16.033 Superintendents like Dave Estrop from Ohio will be able to focus 00:04:16.033 --> 00:04:19.003 on improving teaching and learning in his district instead 00:04:19.003 --> 00:04:21.056 of spending all his time on bureaucratic mandates from 00:04:21.056 --> 00:04:24.089 Washington that don't get results. 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:27.073 This isn't just the right thing to do for our kids -- 00:04:27.073 --> 00:04:31.030 it's the right thing to do for our country, and our future. 00:04:31.030 --> 00:04:34.016 It's time to put our teachers back on the job. 00:04:34.016 --> 00:04:37.006 It's time to rebuild and modernize our schools. 00:04:37.006 --> 00:04:40.013 And it's time to raise our standards, up our game, 00:04:40.013 --> 00:04:43.053 and do everything it takes to prepare our children to succeed 00:04:43.053 --> 00:04:45.073 in the global economy. 00:04:45.073 --> 00:04:49.043 Now is the time to once again make our education system the 00:04:49.043 --> 00:04:51.063 envy of the world. 00:04:51.063 --> 99:59:59.999 Thanks for listening.