The Grade - TheGrade's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Parents ask district for $19,000 after monkey bar fall

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:31:22 PST

arParents at Caroline Harris Elementary School are asking Bakersfield City School District to pay $19,000 for medical bills and damages after their 7-year-old fell from the monkey bars.

The district on Tuesday will vote on denying the claim during a school board meeting.

According to the parents' statement, their daughter was "swinging from bar to bar when her hand slipped off the bar while her other hand was in midair." She fell backwards and broke her fall with her hand. Her wrist broke.

In arguing their case, the parents say "it was hot outside, her hands were sweaty and the bars slippery. There is no grip tape on the bars which I feel could have prevented this accident... I realize this was an accident, but the school system is responsible for my children while they are in their care."

Medical bills were $9,000, they state. The remaining $10,000 is for damages, because their daughter "was in a great deal of pain and this was very traumatic for her."

Do the parents have a case? You decide.

— Jorge Barrientos, Education Reporter

School council: Overcrowding leading to restroom problems

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:12:56 PST

Overcrowding in schools has been a hot-button issue in education for years. The complaint is usually that some students get left behind academically among the crowds.

At Casa Loma Elementary School, however, the problem lies in bathroom lines, according to KGET Channel 17.

The school's site council is saying students have to spend their entire recess waiting in line to use the restroom. Some have even wet themselves.

Classes must take 15-minute breaks during class so students can drink water and use the bathroom.

Enrollment is at more than 800 students, an all-time high, according to KGET, and the council says the school was built for 500.

The Bakersfield City School District said it spent more than $800,000 on improvements to the school. Six other schools in the district are larger than Casa Loma, and five of those have fewer restrooms. There have been no complaints at those schools, according to the district.

What are your thoughts? What would be a good solution?

— Jorge Barrientos, Education Reporter

Parent upset after teacher shows "R" rated movie in class

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:32:06 PST

A Standard Middle School parent is upset that a teacher showed an "R" rated movie in her sixth-grader's class, according to BakersfieldNow.

The teacher apparently showed "Kung Fu Hustle," which contains cursing, violence and some nudity.

The school's principal said the teacher was showing the movie as a reward for academic achievement, but the principal acknowledged the showing of the film was inappropriate. The problem was being "dealt with."

What do you think? Is this a big deal? Would it make the difference if the "R" rated movie had educational value?

— Jorge Barrientos, Education Reporter

Shafter school gets physical fitness award

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:43:06 PST

Shafter’s Golden Oak Elementary School on Thursday received $5,000 for physical fitness equipment and $1,000 for school supplies for winning the 2009 Governor’s Challenge, central valley region.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger launched the competition in 2005 as a way to get California K-12 students, parents and teachers more active, healthy and fit. The challenge calls for 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day at least three days a week for a month.

The statewide competition runs through May 31. The grand prizes: new fitness centers valued at $100,000 each to an elementary, middle and high school. Other prizes include free lift tickets at Mammoth Mountain and 30 day passes to 24 Hour Fitness.

In June, three Golden Oak students joined 92 total statewide as finalists in the competition.

For more information, go to www.calgovcouncil.org/challenge/new_Page1/

— Jorge Barrientos, Education Reporter

President: CSUB cuts expected mid-December

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:54:12 PST

I spoke briefly with Mitchell Friday morning as I toured the campus with university spokeswoman Kathy Miller. It was a chance for me to meet university staff as The Bakersfield Californian’s new education reporter.

Mitchell’s shooting for a mid-December announcement for cuts, he said. Everything campus-related is being considered for the chopping block, including language programs and athletics.

The university is approaching the cuts strategically while thinking innovatively, Miller said.

“Everything is on the table,” she said. “We’re looking at this like the money is not coming back. Just isn’t just a budget cutting exercise. This is something we’re looking at strategically for the future.”

She added: “We don’t anticipate the money coming back anytime soon despite our best wishes.”

The cuts are taking place at a time when the university is growing. Freshmen applicants are up 52 percent. The university, however, is expected to reduce student enrollment by 6 percent next year, a state mandate. Winter and spring enrollment has been closed.

Meanwhile, faculty and administrators are taking a 10 percent pay cut in the form of furloughs. And tuition went up for students 32 percent this year.

— Jorge Barrientos, Education Reporter

CSUB budget situation

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:55:53 PDT

Cal State Bakersfield has already cut millions from its budget, and must make another $8.3 million for the coming year.

On Thursday the Modern Languages Department met with about 150 people to discuss the possibility that Spanish Bachelors and Masters degree programs could disappear.

CSUB would be the only campus in the CSU system that would not have a modern language program if a program cut happened, said Professor Joanne Schmidt.

It would be a big blow to lose the Heritage program, which offers education to Latino / Spanish speakers born and raised with the language, Schmidt said.

A new community action group will organize actions to publicize the situation, Schmidt said.

To date, no tenured faculty have been laid off (they voted to take a 10 percent pay cut in the form of furloughs instead of layoffs; to be clear, many lecturers have been laid off.)

CSUB President Horace Mitchell will announce budget reductions by December 1.

Recent updates:

CSUB weighing program cuts, Oct 13

CSUB faculty question administrator numbers, Oct 12

Wonderrotunda!

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:48:23 PDT

Can't afford the cost of a ticket?

Take a virtual educational theme park tour on the Wonderrotunda site.

From the press release: Kids (ages 7-12)* can do everything from zip line through
a tropical rainforest, steer a submarine through the human digestive system,
dive the Great Barrier Reef or operate a smoothie stand!

It's not all fluffy entertainment: Information used to build different virtual tours came from the NASA website, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Zoological Society of London, among many sources.

*Warning: Adults may like the tour, too.

New charter school on horizon

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:20:28 PDT

Damon Smothers, a local child pyschologist, filed an application to open a new charter school in the Greenfield Union School District this month. The district can vote to accept or deny the charter based on the application -- but not based on the cost to the district. Schools that are "chartered" in a school district receive state funding per student.

The New York Times published a story on Sunday about Ginn Academy, a charter school in its third year that's turning around dropout numbers in Ohio.

There's a fair degree of similarity between Smothers' plan and Ginn Academy, as you'll read...

This fall the Paramount Bard Acamemy charter school opened in Delano.

Smothers' Preparatory School for Arts and Sciences charter school would open with 160 kids in grades three to six. It would expand to K-12, and accept students from across Kern County. The school would focus on closing the achievement gap among black and Hispanic students will open in fall 2010.

Smothers currently coaches a youth football team and cheer squad.

Recent charter news: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill (SB) 592 which will let between 30 to 35 charter schools “hold title,” potentially allowing them to own and control roughly $500 million in charter school facilities.

This is step toward further legislation that would give charter schools more control over their buildings, as opposed to the "chartering" district maintaining ownership of the facilities.

“The bill removes the most significant barrier to construction of charter schools by creating more options for who can hold title to charter facilities -- a city, county, county office of education, or a charter school," said said Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, and a candidate for State Superintendent of Schools.

There are about 800 charter schools in California. Less than 10 charters operate in Kern County.

New study: Latinos and the achievement gap

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:57:11 PDT

Latinos and Education: Explaining the Attainment Gap

It isn't because they don't try hard in school.

The biggest reason Latinos decide not to go to college is the pressure they feel to support their families financially.

9 out of 10 Hispanic students say college is important, but only about 50 percent say they'll probably go on to get a college degree, according to a new report from the Pew Hispanic Center.

A much smaller percentage (38%) of the 2,000 national survey respondents said there is an achievement gap between Latino students and whites because they don't work as hard.

Why does this matter?

In Kern County 76,000, or 58% of all students, are Hispanic/Latino — if only half of them consider going to college, it's not hard to image how little progress the county will make without an educated workforce in the future.

Hispanic Youth Institute

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:27:40 PDT

The Hispanic College Fund (HCF) runs summer seminars — one in Fresno — for Hispanic high school students to help them with gain skills to go to college.

Now the Hispanic College Fund is running a year-round effort with the online Hispanic Youth Institute.

The organization's goal is to empower more students to go to college, enter a professional career, and give back to their communities — and a good way to do that is to push for change from from the bottom-up – starting with the students themselves.

The new online program will provide student groups with targeted PowerPoint presentations, peer-authored blog entries, expert-written articles, and helpful links to support students’ learning of each month’s theme.

New achievement gap resource

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:12:30 PDT

Closing the achievement gap

The state Department of Education unveiled an online Resource Kit chock-full of links to resources to help families, communities, and organizations to develop partnerships with schools to narrow the academic achievement gap.

There's a lot of links to a lot of good information and studies, including Data: An Essential Tool, that includes links to reports about test data, enrollment, graduates, dropouts, course enrollments, and staffing.

The Parent/Family section is also loaded with information about parent rights, handbooks for subjects, and real-life success stories highlighting how change can happen.

“The success of our students is directly connected to the success of our state and national economy," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell on Wednesday with the release of the site.

"That’s why I urge businesses, faith-based organizations, parents, community groups, and others to get involved in their local schools."

KHSD nuts and bolts

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:26:43 PDT

As meetings go, Monday's (Oct. 5) Kern High School District board meeting didn't raise the hair on anyone's neck. One attendee charitably described it as "mundane."

Guess what? Sometimes the business of running schools isn't explosive, or frustrating, or even all that exciting. There was no shortage of data and specifics about education code, test scores, and data analysis, the stuff that makes the learning gears turn.

Here's last night's wrap up story:
Sharing data on student scores among topics at KHSD meeting

About 50 Ridgeview seniors showed up for the meeting. Several noted the emphasis the district has put on graduation rates (they were there to fulfill Government class requirement)

"The grad rate is going up," said Jesse Garcia.

"The grad rate is a big deal, it didn't use to be. But they care now, and are making you do it," said Angelica Barragan.

"It helps you concentrate more," said Gabby Vasquez.

Vote on college loans

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:15:38 PDT

A House vote on a bill that would cut out private lenders out of the federal government college loan business. The government could save $87 billion over 10 years by not paying the lenders (think Sallie May) to handle the loans.

It was a party-line vote.

If the bill passes into law, the upshot?

".... anticipated savings to increase grants for low-income students and boost funding for minority students."

LA Times article: Student loans might soon get overhauled. Here's how.

Wall Street Journal article: Bill Upends System for College Loans

Power outage at Liberty High

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:00:33 PDT

Liberty High students get an unexpected early-out Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. due to a PG&E power outage.

Classroom budget cuts?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:43:32 PDT

We knew the reduced education budget would affect classroom sizes. It was one of the biggest concerns about school budget cuts.

Panama Buena Vista recently hired classroom aides for about 50 of its primary grades (K-3) that have over 29 kids per class.

Some KHSD literacy classrooms are rumored to hover around 50 students. The district classroom size average is 37.

What are you hearing about budget cuts affecting classrooms in your district?

-Education reporter Jeff Nachtigal, 395-7377

School rankings are in

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:53:47 PDT

The California Department of Education released Accountability Progress Reports for schools on Tuesday.

View API and AYP results by school, district and state level:

As a whole the Kern High School District’s Academic Performance Index, or API, grew by 21 points over last year’s scores to an average of 682.

Stockdale High’s API was 803, the only school in the district to score over 800.

An API score of 800 is the statewide target (schools score between 200 and 1000); ony 21 percent of California high schools are at or above 800.

Liberty High’s API was 773, a 44 point rise from 2008.

The API rankings compare similar schools based on their demographics; Stockdale and

Liberty High are considered “similar” schools in the KHSD.

API is determined by a school’s student scores on the STAR state standard tests given in the spring, and the high school exit exam every student takes.

The state sets a 5 percent API “growth” target for every school, based on the difference between a school’s “base” score set by its previous year test scores, and the statewide growth target score of 800.

In KHSD, four schools met state-set improvement targets, 10 schools did not succeed in reaching all their 10 demographic subgroup targets, and 3 schools did not meet their growth targets.

The Bakersfield City School District’s API was 693, a rise of 11 points from the previous year.

Rosedale Union School District schools averaged 793, up 17 points from the previous year.

The Fruitvale School District averaged 847, up 11 points.

Panama-Buena Vista Union School District schools 791, up 24 points from last year.

The Norris School District API is 832, up 20 points from the previous year.

Greenfield Union School District, the fourth largest in the county, averaged 750, a growth of 21 points from 2008.

This year 48 percent of elementary schools and 36 percent of middle schools were at or above the state target of 800.

On Tuesday the state also released the federal Annual Yearly Progress standards, and Program Improvement, a status which applies to schools that serve low-income communities.

Watch this on Tuesday

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:47:59 PDT

How important are principals for a school's success — or failure?

Watch the PBS documentary The Principal Story airing Tuesday Sept. 15.

Check the local TV schedule for time and channel.

The Principal Story tells two stories, painting a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America's public schools — and of the great difference a dedicated principal can make. Tresa Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago's Nash Elementary, where 98% of students come from low-income families; in Springfield, Illinois, Kerry Purcell has led Harvard Park Elementary, with similar demographics, for six years....

... The Principal Story takes the viewer along for an emotional ride that reveals what effective educational leadership looks like in the 21st century.

Text of Obama speech

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:03:26 PDT

President Obama spoke to school children in America today.

Did your kids watch his speech? What did they think about it?

What did you think about the President's message about eduction? Inspiring, boring, partisan? Was the pre-speech controversy worth all the fuss?

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

George H.W. Bush speech to students

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:01:02 PDT

Some parents are getting exercised about the idea that students in schools will watch President Obama give a speech on Tuesday about education. There is precendent for a president to give advice to the nation's youth — and for it to be broadcast nationally.

In 1991 former President George H.W. Bush addressed the nation's children on the importance of education

His remarks were broadcast live by the Cable News Network, the Public
Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the NBC radio
network.

In his remarks, he referred to Cynthia Mostoller, an eighth grade
humanities teacher; Rachel Rusch, a student; Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chairman
of the President's Council on Physical Fitness; principal Reginald R. Moss;
and custodian George Francis.

Remarks to Students and Faculty at Alice Deal Junior High School, in Washington, D.C., on Oct 1, 1991:

Thank you, Ms. Mostoller, and thanks for allowing me to visit your classroom
to talk to you and all these students, and millions more in classrooms all
across the country.

You know, long before I became President I was a parent. I remember the
times that my kids came up with a really tough question or a difficult
decision. I tried my best never to shut them down with a quick ``no.'' I
would simply say those three magic words that made that problem disappear:
``Ask your Mother.'' [Laughter]

Let me tell you why I've made the trip up from the White House to Alice Deal
Junior High. I'm not here to teach a lesson. You already have a very good
teacher. I'm not here to tell you what to do or what to think. Maybe you're
accustomed to adults talking about you and at you; well, today, I'm here to
talk to you and challenge you. Education matters, and what you do today, and
what you don't do can change your future.

Every day, we hear more bad news about our schools. Maybe you saw today's
headline, I don't know if you had a chance to look at it, about the release
of the new National Goals Report. Get the camera to come in and take a look
at this for a moment. In math, for instance, this national report card shows
that, nationwide, five of six eighth graders don't know the math they need
to move up to the ninth grade.

In spite of troubling statistics like this one, I don't see this report,
however, as just bad news, and I'll tell you why. This report tells us a lot
about what you know and what you don't know. It gives us something to build
on. It shows us our strengths and the weaknesses that we've go to correct.
It sets forth a challenge to all of us: Work harder, learn more,
revolutionize American education.

I know you've heard about stanines and percentiles, surveys and statistics,
but here's what all that fancy talk really means: Education means the
difference between a good future and a lousy one. Reports don't give us the
right to make excuses. Our scores will tell us where we are and where we
need to go.

I mentioned earlier the bad news we hear about schools today. But what we
don't hear enough about are the success stories. You know, all over America,
thousands of schools do succeed, even against tough odds, even against all
odds. Kids from all over the District of Columbia petition to get into Alice
Deal School here because parents know this school works. It works because of
teachers like the one standing over here, Ms. Mostoller, who decided at the
age of 25 -- maybe you all know this, but a lot of people around the country
don't -- she decided at the age of 25 that she wanted to teach. She was
standing in a supermarket checkout line when she saw a magazine ad about
college. She went back to school, worked her way through in 7 years, waiting
tables to pay tuition. She made it, and so can you.

This school here works because of students like the ones with me today,
students like Rachel Rusch -- where's Rachel? Right there, okay -- a member
of Alice Deal's award-winning ``Math Counts'' team. Rachel, you tell me if
I'm wrong, but you and six other students in this class alone have taken
part in the Johns Hopkins Talent Search. They took the college entrance
exams on an experimental basis last year as seventh graders. Even in junior
high, some of them scored well enough to get into college right now. So,
let's just put it on the line. You've got the brains. Now, put them to work
-- certainly, not for me, but for you.

Progress starts when we ask more of ourselves, our schools and, yes, you,
our students. We made a start nationally now by setting six National
Education Goals to meet the challenges of the 21st century. By the year
2000, at least 9 in every 10 students should graduate from high school. We
should be first in the world in math and science. We need to regularly test
student's abilities. Every American child should start school ready to
learn; every American adult should be literate; and every American school
should be safe and drug-free. Reaching those goals is the aim of a strategy
that we call America 2000, a crusade for excellence in American education,
school by school, community by community.

But what does all this mean, you might say, what is he doing, what does this
all mean for the students right here in this room? Fast-forward -- 5 years
from now. Unless things change, between now and 1996 as many as one in four
of today's eighth graders will not graduate with their class. In some
cities, the dropout rate is twice that high or higher. Imagine: Out of a
total of nearly 3 million of your fellow classmates nationwide, an army of
more than half a million dropouts.

I ask every student watching today: Look around you. Count four students.
Start with yourself. No one dreams of becoming a dropout, but far too many
do. Which one of you won't make it through school?

The fact is, every one of you can. Let's make a pact then right here. Let's
work to see that 5 years from now, you and your friends will be more than
sad statistics. Give yourself a decent shot at your dreams. Stay in school.
Get that diploma.

Let's go back to the future. In the fall of 1996, 5 years from now, nearly
half of today's eighth graders who get their diplomas will enter the working
world. More than half the graduates will stay in school and become the
college class of the year 2000.

The question each student watching today should ask is: Where will I be,
where will I be 5 years from now? Will I be holding down a good job and
maybe working toward a better one, or will I be out of school and out of
work? Will I be on a college campus, or out running the streets?

Think about that tonight when you're at a kitchen table doing some homework;
while your parents are meeting your teachers like so many millions do this
year at back-to-school nights all across our great country.

I'm asking you to put two and two together: Make the connection between the
homework you do tonight, the test you take tomorrow, and where you'll be 5,
15, even 50 years from now. You see, the real world doesn't begin somewhere
else, some time way down there in the distant future. The real world starts
right here. What you do here will have consequences for your whole lives.

Let me tell you something, many of you may find very hard to believe this.
You're in control. You're thinking: How can the President say that about
kids like us when we don't even have our driver's license? But think about
it, and you'll see what I mean.

Think about drugs. You see films. You hear police experts and tough speakers
from the outside. You get stern lectures from everyone: movie stars,
athletes, teachers, parents, friends. But you know and I know that all the
drug prevention programs, all the pledges, all the preaching in the world
won't pull you through that critical moment when someone offers drugs. At
that moment, everything comes down to you. Yes or no, you've got to choose,
and the answer will change your life. Your parents won't make the decision.
Your teachers won't make the decision. Your friends won't make the decision.
It's up to you. It takes guts to take control.

A sound body and a sound mind, they go together, as my friend, and he is a
friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger says. He's crossing the Nation talking with
students about the importance of fitness. And real fitness means no drugs.

Studies show a decline in drug use, and that's good, that's encouraging, I
think. And every student who draws the line against drugs really deserves
credit for that. But drugs and violence continue to threaten every school,
every small town and suburb in America. And as students, you have a right to
be physically safe at school. You should never have to worry that a quarrel
in the hallway will lead to gunfire in the playground. Fear should never
follow you into the classroom.

If you have to take the long way home after school so you don't cross paths
with the gang hanging on the corner, if outsiders roam the halls of your
school hassling kids, hassling students, you must take control. Go to your
teacher, or go to your principal, or go to your parents, as difficult as it
may be, go to the school board if you have to. Demand discipline. If good
people chicken out, bad people take control. Together, we can -- I really
believe this -- we can drive the drugs and guns and senseless violence out
of our schools.

When it comes to your own education, what I'm saying is take control. Don't
say school is boring and blame it on your teachers. Make your teachers work
hard. Tell them you want a first-class education. Tell them that you're here
to learn.

Block out the kids who think it's not cool to be smart. I can't understand
for the life of me what's so great about being stupid. If someone goofs off
today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now when they're stuck
in a dead-end job? Don't let peer pressure stand between you and your
dreams.

Take control -- challenge yourself. Only you know how hard you work. Maybe
you can fake, maybe, just maybe you can fake your way into a job, but you
won't keep it for long if you don't have the know-how to get the job done.
Maybe you can cram the week before that marking period ends, and turn that C
into a B. But you can't con your way past the SAT and into college. If you
don't work hard, who gets hurt? If you cheat, who pays the price? If you cut
corners, if you hunt for the easy A, who comes up short? Easy answer to that
one: You do.

You're in control, but you are not alone. People want you to succeed. They
want to help you succeed. Here at Deal, teachers like your outstanding
teacher standing here with us today, Ms. Mostoller, from your principal, Mr.
Moss, to your custodian, Mr. Francis. Right now in classrooms across this
country, in the communities you call home, when things get tough, when
answers are hard to come by, there's a teacher, a parent, a friend or family
member ready to help you. They want to see you make it.

If you take school seriously, you won't have to settle for a job, just any
job. You'll have a career. If you make it your business to learn, one day
you'll be a better parent. You may not think about it now, but one day your
children will want to look up at you and say, ``I've got the smartest Mom
and Dad in the world.'' Don't disappoint them.

Let me leave you with a simple message: Every time you walk through that
classroom door, make it your mission to get a good education. Don't do it
just because your parents, or even the President, tells you. Do it for
yourselves. Do it for your future. And while you're at it, help a little
brother or sister to learn, or maybe even Mom or Dad. Let me know how you're
doing. Write me a letter -- and I'm serious about this one -- write me a
letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. I think you know the
address.

Now we're going to walk over to the school auditorium to say hello to the
rest of the student body. To all the students across the country who watched
us here in this great classroom today, may I simply say thank you and good
luck to you this school year.

And now, Ms. Mostoller, if you'll kindly lead the way. Thank you all very
much. Nice to be with you.

xxx

More on Obama speech to students

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:02:19 PDT

More on Tuesday's scheduled 9am PST speech to students...

The White House will release the speech 24 hours in advance on Monday:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/03/2051572.aspx

On the White House rewriting a line in the speech that Republicans thought was more policy than education:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/obamas-back-to-school-message----scribbled-with-some-controversy.html

Californian Reporter Steven Mayer wrote in today's paper about Norris and Rosedale school districts' positions on airing the speech:
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x616725258/Schools-deciding-whether-to-air-Obama-address

And from his blog, which is generating lots of discussion...
" Conservative bloggers want kids to stay home from school Tuesday":
http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/smayer/49084

President Obama's Speech on Education, March 10
at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
http://thisweekwithbarackobama.blogspot.com/2009/03/president-obamas-speech-on-education.html

From the speech: "Of the 30 fastest growing occupations in America, half require a Bachelor's degree or more. By 2016, four out of every 10 new jobs will require at least some advanced education or training.

So let there be no doubt: The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens — and my fellow Americans, we have everything we need to be that nation. We have the best universities, the most renowned scholars. We have innovative principals and passionate teachers and gifted students...." —Obama