The key idea from President Obama’s speech was not what he said, but what he did. He stopped waiting around and took matters into his own hands.
He said that the goals of NCLB were right, but the direction taken to achieve those goals were wrong. He said that he would start granting certain states waivers from No Child Left Behind and hinted at bigger reform saying that it should reflect many of the principles behind Race to the Top.
Whether or not you agree with his policies, his actions are something that each one of us can learn from. One month into law school and I’ve already seen many examples of how I can pitch in.
At Georgetown Law School, there are numerous students and programs that are are examples of this. One of these programs is called Everybody Wins. Every week in Everybody Wins, law students read to local school kids to get them excited about learning. Another is the Street Law Program where law students visit high schools and teach students about legal issues relevant to them and expand their vision for the future.
As Obama said in his speech, “We can’t just blame teachers and schools.” We all need to do better.
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