Controversy Rages Over President Obama’s Back to School Broadcast

As if going back to school time isn’t hectic enough and there aren’t enough political controversies swirling over health care, the environment, and the economy in general, President Obama’s Back to School broadcast, on Tuesday, September 8 has now generated an avalanche of controversy. A communication sent by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, to school principals during the last week of August and posted on the U.S. Department of Education website, sparked the controversy when it announced the speech along with a menu of classroom activities for before, during, and after the speech. The President’s message was streamed live at 12 noon EDT and could also be viewed on C-SPAN or via the internet. In addition, a transcript of the speech was made available on September 7th, the day before the broadcast to give parents and school officials time to review it before it was aired. However, despite that, many school districts indicated that they would not show the speech and in other districts parents are being given the right to have their children “opt out” of the speech and engage in other activities during that time.

Why the controversy? According to the White House, the purpose of the broadcast is to emphasize the importance of children taking responsibility for their own education and encourage them to set goals to succeed. He hopes to use this opportunity to promote personal responsibility, goals, and persistence in school achievement, and motivate school children around the country as they are returning to school. President Obama stated in his speech, “I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.”

However, according to critics, such as Neal McCluskey, Associate Director of the Center for Education Freedom at the Cato Institute, the broadcast is troubling in that it imposes values on the students and is intended to glorify the presidency and President Obama himself. And in a September 1 statement, Florida Republican Party Jim Greer expressed outrage that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s “socialist agenda.” The debate raised so much concern that it did result in some revisions to the activities to reinforce the focus on personal responsibility rather than support of the president’s position.

Whatever your political leaning, concern, or support of the speech, there are some fundamental facts about the importance of education that cannot be overlooked. School children in the United States continue to lack proficiency in critical reading and mathematics skills, and we are at the bottom half of industrialized countries in the proficiency of 15 year olds in mathematics and science. Our high school and college graduation rates are also disappointingly low, as the requirements for skilled workers continues to rise. The need to improve our educational standards and our educational system could not be more profound. The well being of our country and all of our citizens depends on having more, better educated individuals entering the workforce, while as a nation we move in the opposite direction. Whether you believe that the debate about President Obama’s Back-to-School speech is a contrived distraction from the important issues in education or a justified response to an effort to promote political propaganda, now is the time to reaffirm your commitment to your children’s education. Education is the gift of the future, and I encourage you to reinforce this simple message to your child through your words and actions. On this issue, there is no more important spokesperson for your child than you.