Education Week: Officials Move to Quell Furor Over Obama Speech:
"The White House and federal education officials scrambled Thursday to reassure school leaders that President Barack Obama’s national speech to schoolchildren next week will touch on important educational goals, despite criticism from some conservatives that the president is planning to use the speech to “indoctrinate” children with his political views.
“The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning,” the U.S. Department of Education said in an e-mail urging schools to participate in what it called a “historic moment,” to be broadcast live Sept. 8 on C-SPAN and the White House’s Web site."
"The White House and federal education officials scrambled Thursday to reassure school leaders that President Barack Obama’s national speech to schoolchildren next week will touch on important educational goals, despite criticism from some conservatives that the president is planning to use the speech to “indoctrinate” children with his political views.
“The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning,” the U.S. Department of Education said in an e-mail urging schools to participate in what it called a “historic moment,” to be broadcast live Sept. 8 on C-SPAN and the White House’s Web site."