President's Speech at Va. High School Stirs Controversy - Wakefield Site of Back-to-School Speech

President's Speech at Va. High School Stirs Controversy - Wakefield Site of Back-to-School Speech
By Debbi Wilgoren and Michael Alison Chandler
Copyright by The Washington Post
Thursday, September 3, 2009; 11:09 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090300965.html?hpid=topnews


President Obama's planned speech at an Arlington County high school next Tuesday, which the White House hopes will be watched live by students and teachers across the nation, is being criticized by some as an attempt to indoctrinate, rather than motivate, young people.

Officials at Wakefield High School say they are thrilled and proud to host the nation's parent-in-chief for an appearance that White House spokesman Thomas Vietor described as "entirely about encouraging kids to work hard and stay in school." But a few of Obama's political opponents are denouncing the event, homing in on suggestions from the U.S. Department of Education for classroom activities that could be linked to the speech.

The administration modified some of the language in those suggestions in response to the complaints. And after receiving inquiries, the Virginia Department of Education has issued guidelines that explain that individual teachers and principals will make the decisions about whether their students should watch the address.

Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party for the state of Florida, said the speech is an effort to "spread President Obama's socialist ideology" and "justify his positions" on health care, the economy and taxes.

Nonsense, countered Vietor, noting that the text of the speech will be posted on the White House Web site before it is given and can be reviewed by parents and educators in advance. "This is not a policy speech."

Rep. John Kline (Minn.), the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, and House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.) urged the early release of the text in a letter to the White House on Wednesday, saying parents and teachers should have ample time to review the presidents words before deciding if children should hear them.

The president chose Wakefield for the 15- to 20-minute address because of the aging campus's reputation for success with disadvantaged students. The speech will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and the White House Web site, and is meant to underscore the president's commitment to education, even as the country is engaged in two wars, an economic crisis and a tense health-care debate, the White House said.

After hearing criticism of the suggested classroom activities, the Education Department changed one proposal from having children write letters to themselves about "what they could do to help the president" to writing about "how they can achieve their short-term and long-term educational goals."

Vietor said aides decided the new language was "clearer" than the original.

In October 1991, then-President George H.W. Bush gave a nationally televised speech to students at the District's Alice Deal Junior High School, encouraging them to study hard, avoid drugs and turn in troublemakers. At the time, House Democrats assailed the speech as a misappropriation of education funds for political purposes.

After plans were announced for Obama's speech, Virginia education officials issued guidelines in response to inquiries about whether the address should be required viewing in all classrooms.

"Whether a school or class views the address is a local decision to be made by teachers and principals in keeping with other demands of the instructional day," superintendent of public instruction Patricia I. Wright said in statement. "Teachers who decide to incorporate President Obama's speech into their instructional program also are free to develop their own follow-up classroom activities."

The statement noted that Tuesday is the first day of school for many Virginia districts and said schools should make "reasonable accommodations" for any students whose parents object to them viewing the speech.

Wakefield Principal Doris Jackson called Obama's visit "a validation of this little school that keeps trying to pop all the charts."

Set in a 1950s-era building just off a commercial strip on Route 7, Wakefield is the county's most economically and racially diverse high school. Nearly half of Wakefield's 1,400 students are Hispanic, and more than a quarter are African immigrants or African American. About half receive free or reduced-cost lunch.

Despite a population with many and varied academic needs, the high school has achieved continuous improvement on standardized tests. It has a reputation for setting lofty academic standards, including a goal that every student will take at least one Advanced Placement class before graduating, said Arlington schools spokeswoman Linda Erdos. Last year, 39 percent of graduating Wakefield seniors had at least one passing score on an AP test -- more than twice the national average.

Obama visited schools in the Washington suburbs during the presidential campaign, including after-hours stops at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria and Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. After his election, he and first lady Michelle Obama read to students at the Capital City Public Charter School in February.

This will be his first visit to Arlington public schools, a system with 20,000 students and a new superintendent. But the district has already received a wave of national attention since the president took office.

In February, Education Secretary Arne Duncan chose Wakefield as the site to unveil details of how the stimulus package would affect education. And Duncan included Arlington on his national listening tour, stopping by Washington-Lee High School in August to meet with area principals and solicit ideas for reform.

Some of the high-level attention probably stems from the fact that Duncan's two children attend Arlington Science Focus Elementary School.

The spotlight can only help the school system succeed, officials say.

"This will be a super school year," Jackson said. "I don't know how we can't soar after a start like this."

Staff writers Anne Kornblut and Jay Mathews contributed to this report.