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It's School Days, the monthly video journal of the U.S. Department of Education.
In our April 2012 edition, President Obama calls for quick action by the Congress to
avoid a dramatic increase in the interest rate for Federal college loans. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan announces the first-ever awards in the new Department of Education
Green Ribbon Schools program and a new Blueprint for Career and Technical Education outlines
the Administration's plans for transforming the programs that prepare students of all
ages for the workplace of today. And there's much, much more.
I know that those of you who are graduates are wondering what's in store for your future.
In our top story, President Obama went on the road, visiting campuses in several states
to warn that the interest rates for new subsidized college loans are scheduled to double on July
first. Your voice matters. Stand up, be heard, be
counted, tell them now is not the time to double interest rates on your student loans.
If the Congress doesn't act, the increase would affect more than seven million students
around the country, resulting in an average of one thousand dollars of extra debt for
each one of them. Higher education is not a luxury, the President said, and Congress
should act immediately to avoid the jump in the interest rate.
Arne joined EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House
Council on Environmental Quality, to announce the winners in the new U.S. Department of
Education Green Ribbon Schools competition. These schools, I think, were a mix of the
best and brightest from around the country. They're all using green technology and environmental
education to accelerate the learning of their students.
Seventy-eight schools in 29 states and the District of Columbia were honored for their
wide-ranging efforts to reduce environmental impact, promote health, and ensure a high
quality environmental education. Stoddert Elementary School, one of D.C.'s two winners,
was the site for the announcement. Rural schools were front and center when Arne
and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed the Summit on the Role of Education in Economic
Development in Rural America. Together, the Secretaries led a discussion about solutions
for overcoming the unique challenges faced by distant and remote rural communities and
talked about effective economic development models that can be reproduced in rural areas.
Parenting magazine's third annual Mom Congress was the setting for remarks by Arne about
the Administration's education reform agenda, how those reforms support students and their
families, and how parents can be advocates for school improvement in their states and
communities. The best ideas in education are never going
to come from me, never come from Washington; they're going to come from parents like you,
and teachers and students at the local level. Our job is to listen.
A redesigned website, unveiled in April, offers resources to help families, schools and communities
prevent bullying. "Stopbullying.gov" provides detailed information on state laws and policies,
interactive "webisodes" and videos for young people, and practical strategies for schools
and communities to ensure safe environments. The site also has suggestions on how parents
can talk about the sensitive subject of bullying with their children.
If you don't have the skills to jump out there, it's a pretty scary world. That door is about
to shut very quickly. Des Moines Area Community College was the
backdrop for the release of the Obama Administration's blueprint for transforming career and technical
education. At a town hall, Arne spoke about how the plan would ensure the education system
provides high-quality job-training opportunities that reduce skill shortages, spur business
growth, encourage new investment and hires, and spark innovation and economic growth.
Arne joined Karen Mills, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, for a Twitter
question-and-answer session. The aim was to connect soon-to-be graduates and recent grads
to resources that can help them successfully start a business and contribute to an economy
built to last. Among the resources highlighted was the Income-Based Repayment Plan.
So these are the questions coming from the CEC.
In another venture into the "Twitter-verse," Arne and Assistant Secretary Alexa Posny headlined
a Twitter Town Hall sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children. The two took questions
on a range of topics, among them -- helping improve results and outcomes for children
and youth with disabilities, the importance of early learning for all children, great
teachers, high student achievement, and college and career readiness.
In Dubuque, Iowa, Arne announced "Together for Tomorrow," a joint initiative of the U.S.
Department of Education, the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships,
and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The purpose is to spur community
engagement in turning around our nation's lowest performing schools.
And in Madison, Wisconsin, Arne hosted a town hall at East High School where he talked with
students about the Obama Administration's efforts to hold down college costs and make
postsecondary education more affordable. I think good universities will get more students
coming, those where the cost are raised and the graduation rate is low, maybe they're
lose market share. Education stakeholders and the Department's
own staff had the opportunity to learn more about the School Improvement Grant program
- or "SIG." The briefing featured federal and local education officials discuss progress
being made and promising practices used for turning around the nation's lowest-performing
schools with the support of ED's School Improvement Grants (SIG).
The briefing featured federal and local education officials discuss progress being made and
promising practices used for turning around the nation's lowest-performing schools with
the support of ED's School Improvement Grants (SIG).
The briefing featured a number school district officials discussing how ED's support is helping
local efforts to turn around the nation's lowest-performing schools. The SIG program
is part an overall strategy for dramatically reducing the dropout rate, improving high
school graduation rates and increasing the number of students who finish high school
prepared for success in college and the workplace. (Children singing.)
Arne and Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton headlined a press conference to release new
study on arts education from the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES). The
study presents selected findings from seven Congressionally-mandated arts in education
surveys, and provides national data about arts education for public elementary and secondary
schools, classroom teachers, and elementary and secondary music and visual arts specialists.
The question is are we collectively committed to giving every single child, not just in
high school, but in second and third and fourth and fifth grade these kinds of high quality
opportunities. Or are we happy and satisfied and complacent with this tremendous inequity
across our country.
Teachers matter. That's why I often tell young people, if you want to guarantee that you're
making a difference every single day, become a teacher.
President Obama and Arne welcomed the 2012 National Teacher of the Year to a ceremony
in the East Room of the White House. She is Rebecca Mieliwocki, a seventh grade teacher
from Burbank, California. I am not the best teacher in America. There
isn't one. All across this nation there are millions of teachers who do the work that
I do, and many do it better. In his remarks, the President highlighted
the crucial work that America's teachers do for all of society.
And if we need more proof that teachers matter, all we've got to do is look around this room.
That's all for now. For updates, check out the blog on ED.gov.
And see you next month on School Days.
The teacher is the key to a child reaching their potential, and if we need more proof.
(Baby shouts.) Yes, it's true. Yes. She agrees.