Obama Calls for Higher Standards in Education

President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with state governors at the White House on February 22, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

At a meeting today with state governors, Obama spoke about new efforts to improve education for college and for jobs.

Obama plans to create college and career-ready standards in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Last year the president challenged states to develop standards and assessments that could encourage children to work hard to graduate from high school prepared for college and the workplace.

The president is calling for a redesigned Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The act aims to better teacher preparation to improve classroom instruction. The goal is to help states improve education to successfully prepare students for college and the workplace.

“America’s prosperity has always rested on how well we educate our children—but never more so than today,” said President Barack Obama.

“This is true for our workers, when a college graduate earns over 60 percent more in a lifetime than a high school graduate. This is true for our businesses, when according to one study; 6 in 10 say they simply can’t find qualified people to fill open positions.”