President Obama goes Jimmy Stewart while pushing brain connections and higher education reforms.…
President Obama can at times have shades of Jimmy
Stewart’s sort of straight-laced, honest-engine approach to life.
Nothing brings this quality out more than when he’s talking education.
He’s a firm believer that everyone should have a fair shot at the
American dream if they are willing to work hard.
In his weekly address, Mr. Smith went to Washington
and the President encouraged returning students to get ready for
education beyond high school. He laid out some of the reforms his
administration has undertaken to make college more affordable for middle
class and under-served students, including reforming student loans,
making student loan repayment more manageable and expanding grants and
college tax credits. The administration has also issued a direct call to
action to colleges to encourage them to bring their costs down as part
of the President’s Year of Action (that he can take while Congress
sleeps).
Watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington President Obama sounding like he came from the generation of “hard work will get it done” here:
Transcript via the White House:
Hi, everybody. Over the next couple weeks,
schools all across the country will be opening their doors. Students
will suit up for fall sports, marching band, and the school play; moms
and dads will snap those first-day-of-school pictures – and that
includes me and Michelle.
And so today, I want to talk directly with students
and parents about one of the most important things any of you can do
this year – and that’s to begin preparing yourself for an education
beyond high school.
We know that in today’s economy, whether you go to a
four-year college, a community college, or a professional training
program, some higher education is the surest ticket to the middle class.
The typical American with a bachelor’s degree or higher earns over
$28,000 more per year than someone with just a high school diploma. And
they’re also much more likely to have a job in the first place – the
unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree is less than
one-third of the rate for those without a high school diploma.
But for too many families across the country, paying
for higher education is a constant struggle. Earlier this year, a young
woman named Elizabeth Cooper wrote to tell me how hard it is for
middle-class families like hers to afford college. As she said, she
feels “not significant enough to be addressed, not poor enough for
people to worry [about], and not rich enough to be cared about.”
Michelle and I know the feeling – we only finished
paying off our student loans ten years ago. And so as President, I’m
working to make sure young people like Elizabeth can go to college
without racking up mountains of debt. We reformed a student loan system
so that more money goes to students instead of big banks. We expanded
grants and college tax credits for students and families. We took action
to offer millions of students a chance to cap their student loan
payments at 10% of their income. And Congress should pass a bill to let
students refinance their loans at today’s lower interest rates, just
like their parents can refinance their mortgage.
But as long as college costs keep rising, we can’t
just keep throwing money at the problem – colleges have to do their part
to bring down costs as well. That’s why we proposed a plan to tie
federal financial aid to a college’s performance, and create a new
college scorecard so that students and parents can see which schools
provide the biggest bang for your buck. We launched a new $75 million
challenge to inspire colleges to reduce costs and raise graduation
rates. And in January, more than 100 college presidents and nonprofit
leaders came to the White House and made commitments to increase
opportunities for underserved students.
Since then, we’ve met with even more leaders who
want to create new community-based partnerships and support school
counselors. And this week, my Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan,
announced a series of commitments to support students who need a little
extra academic help getting through college.
This is a challenge I take personally. And to all
you young people, now that you’re heading back to school, your education
is something you have to take personally, also. It’s up to you to push
yourself; to take hard classes and read challenging books. Science shows
that when you struggle to solve a problem or make a new argument,
you’re actually forming new connections in your brain. So when you’re
thinking hard, you’re getting smarter. Which means this year, challenge
yourself to reach higher. And set your sights on college in the years
ahead. Your country is counting on you.
And don’t forget to have some fun along the way, too.
See? Even a geek moment at the end pushing making new connections in our brains. He actually sounds like the
real life Jimmy Stewart, who told his daughters as they were leaving for college, “Be nice to people.” Character matters.
This week, the President announced the next phase of
operation help the low and middle class with the American dream (aka,
upward mobility) via higher education. To assist those students who need
a little academic help, this year’s December 4th Summit will (per a
Fact Sheet provided by the White House), “focus on building sustainable
collaborations in communities with strong K-12 and higher education
partnerships to encourage college going, and supporting colleges to work
together to dramatically improve persistence and increase college
completion, especially for first generation, low-income, and
underrepresented students.”
The repugicans mock the President for wearing a bike
helmet, which is the same quality that makes him a bit of the earnest
Jimmy Stewart. Sure, a geek of high character pushing brain connections
and higher education might seem a little boring or dated, but just
recall the modern day repugican cabal’s contempt for education and
suddenly President Obama’s consistent support for it is the height of
cool. A nation full of greedy predators or a nation full of geeks making
brain connections? Yeah.
