President Obama's Address to America's Students: Right Idea, Wrong Message

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the wake of controversy
surrounding President Barack Obama's scheduled speech to America's school
children, Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform (CER),
released the following statement:

"Having the President of the United States use the bully pulpit to speak to
our schoolchildren isn't new, but it's only a good use of the office if
executed with a clear vision. That vision was blurred by overzealous staffers
who counseled teachers to use the speech to focus on President Obama himself
and not on the nation's education crisis.

"That crisis should be the focus of the president's message. Tell them, Mr.
President, that you recognize the obstacles they face in getting a great
education, and that you and others from all political ideologies are working
on substantive reforms that they can help achieve.

"Tell them our great country lags behind many others when it comes to student
achievement, and that not only do they have to work smarter as a result, but
they have to demand great schools through their teachers, through their
parents and, yes, in whatever community venues they participate.

"We have a generation of kids that are more aware of their world than any in
history. They need to hear that there are things we can do to fix schools,
from rewarding great teachers, to closing failing schools, making sure
standards are high, creating bold, expansive new schools of choice for
students, and generally recognizing that no one size fits all students
anymore.

"If that is the president's focus, then his staffers can distribute literature
about all these reforms to the nation's school staffs, which rarely receive
objective information about them from the associations to which they belong
and are most comfortable with the status quo. Then and only then will the
president have achieved his stated goal of contributing to the improvement of
all schools for all children."

CER president Jeanne Allen is available for comment on the President's speech.
Please contact Jonathan Oglesby at (800) 521-2118 or jonathan@edreform.com.

The Center for Education Reform drives the creation of better educational
opportunities for all children. CER changes laws, minds and cultures to allow
good schools to flourish.

SOURCE Center for Education Reform

Jonathan Oglesby of the Center for Education Reform, +1-800-521-2118,
jonathan@edreform.com