ED Gets It Right: The Right Way to Promote Obama's Back-to-School Speech
by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 13, 2010 at 9:29 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
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A year ago, President Obama's plan to give a back-to-school talk to the nation's students erupted into a tempest when the accompanying materials, issued by the Department of Education, seemed pregnant with politics and hagiography. This year, happily, the Department seems to have learned its lesson--its press release for tomorrow's speech is admirably succinct and on-point, announcing: "The President's Back-to-School Speech is an opportunity to speak directly to students across the country. Last year, President Obama encouraged students to study hard, stay in school, and take responsibility for their education."
A bit dry? Perhaps, but a welcome shift from last year, when Duncan's letter announcing the speech went out of its way to laud the president for "repeatedly focus[ing] on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and healthcare."
