Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Obama urges students to 'dream big' in back-to-school speech in Philadelphia

Obama urges students to 'dream big' in back-to-school speech in Philadelphia

Obama urges students to 'dream big' in back-to-school speech in Philadelphia

VIDEO
Delivering a tough-love message, President Barack Obama told students in a back-to-school speech that their job was to show up on time, pay attention in class, do their homework, study and stay out of trouble.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 14, 2010; 2:15 PM

PHILADELPHIA - For his second annual back-to-school speech,President Obama chose as his backdrop an elite, selective public school in this city that is a far cry from the turnaround-success stories his administration is seeking to promote.

Obama, in a Tuesday afternoon speech, urged the nation's students to "dream big" and "stay focused" on education in an address that aides described as a nonpolitical event.

But students at Philadelphia's Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School probably are already heeding that advice. The school, with about 1,200 students from grades 5 through 12, draws the city's academic cream through competitive admissions. With nearly all of its graduates headed to four-year colleges and most of its upper-grade students taking a