"Education isn’t an either/or proposition. It’s a both/and proposition."

Remarks by the President on Education Reform at the National Urban League Centennial Conference on July 29, 2010

Now, since we’re on the topic of speaking honestly with one another, I want to devote the balance of my time, the balance of my remarks, to an issue that I believe will largely determine not only African American success, but the success of our nation in the 21st century -- and that is whether we are offering our children the very best education possible. (Applause.)

I know some argue that as we emerge from a recession, my administration should focus solely on economic issues. They said that during health care as if health care had nothing to do with economics; said it during financial reform as if financial reform had nothing to do with economics; and now they're saying it as we work on education issues. But education is an economic issue -- if not “the” economic issue of our time. (Applause.)

It’s an economic issue when the unemployment rate for folks who’ve never gone to college is almost double what it is for those who have gone to college. (Applause.) It’s an economic issue when eight in 10 new jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of this decade. It’s an economic issue when countries that out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow.

Now, for years, we’ve recognized that education is a prerequisite for prosperity. And yet, we’ve tolerated a status quo where America lags behind other nations. Just last week, we learned that in a single generation, America went from number one to 12th in college completion rates for young adults. Used to be number one, now we’re number 12.

At the same time, our 8th graders trail about eight -- 10 other nations -- 10 other nations in science and math. Meanwhile, when it comes to black students, African American students trail not only almost every other developed nation abroad, but they badly trail their white classmates here at home -- an achievement gap that is widening the income gap between black and white, between rich and poor.

We’ve talked about it, we know about it, but we haven’t done enough about it. And this status quo is morally inexcusable, it's economically indefensible, and all of us are going to have to roll up our sleeves to change it. (Applause.)

1996

[True story: I've spent part of summer vacation rewriting programs I found in an old Holt Physics textbook (copyright 1999) to run on TI-83 and TI-84s. Rejoice AP Physics B students]

NASA RealWorld/InWorld challenge

Are you a high school teacher looking to incorporate real world engineering design solutions into your classroom? Join our design challenge! Visit the Real
World/In World NASA Engineering Design Challenge website ((http://www.nasarealworldinworld.org/)) to learn more!

Students will try to answer one of these two questions relating to the Webb telescope:
■How can you design a shield to protect the Webb telescope?
■How can you deliver the Webb telescope to space using existing rocket technology?

Coaches and students who submit their final RealWorld project solutions by December 15, 2010, are eligible to move to the InWorld phase to compete for scholarships and technology awards.

[ED. NOTE: I'm always looking for a way to expand my use of water bottle rocketry in the classroom, so seeing that one of the challenges is to use existing rocket tech to deliver the Webb telescope to orbit seems like it has potential for this school year.]

What's Up for July 2010

This month look for dark interstellar clouds blocking patches of Milky Way stars. A pretty march of the planets is underway too. Mars and Saturn are inching closer to one another (from our vantage point on Earth, that is) with Venus not too far away - all grouped in the western sky at sunset.