Week #10 (4/4-4/8)- Opinion: America needs to raise the bar on education for our students

By Michelle Obama, adapted by Newsela staff

04.04.16

Word Count 920

First lady Michelle Obama speaks to nearly 2,000 high school students in May 2015 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. The rally was part of her Reach Higher initiative. Photo: Office of the first lady of the U.S.

As first lady, I have spent a lot of time talking with young people all across this country about education. I have heard about their hopes of going to college, getting good jobs and one day starting families of their own. I also have heard about the challenges they face: the rising costs of tuition and the insecurities and fears that come along with being first-generation college students.

My message to these young people is simple. While all of us adults — teachers, administrators and policymakers — have to do a better job of giving them the best schools and opportunities for their future, at the end of the day, they also need to step up and take responsibility for their education themselves.

What that means is going to class every day, setting their goals high and working like crazy to achieve them. Education and hard work has been the story of my life and of my husband's life too. So when I talk to young people, my hope is that they see our story can be their story, too — as long as they are willing to dedicate themselves to their education.

Reach Higher For Higher Education

I officially gave this effort to promote the value of education a name — my Reach Higher initiative. Its goal is to inspire young people to reach higher, by extending their education beyond high school so that they can own their futures. We are focusing on things like financial aid, college counseling, academic and summer planning, and college visits. Our goal is to ensure that every student in this country understands how to pursue and complete their education.

We are doing all of this because we know that these days, a high school diploma simply is not enough. To get a good job and be hired against applicants from all over the world, our young people need something more. The same thing is true for our country as well — we need a highly trained, highly educated workforce to compete in the 21st century. All across America, we need communities that truly value and promote education.

The truth is, it was not all that long ago that our country was setting the standard for the rest of the world. A generation ago, America had the highest percentage of college graduates in the world. Today, however, we have dropped all the way to 12th place. That is simply not acceptable, and that is why my husband set his "North Star" goal — that by the year 2020, we will once again have the highest college graduation rate in the world. Already, through efforts like Race to the Top, we are seeing states and school districts across the country make real improvements for our kids. Today, our high school graduation rate is the highest on record.

We've All Got Work To Do

While we should be proud of these gains, we have still got plenty of work to do. It is going to take all of us to inspire our young people to reach higher. That means more parents encouraging their kids and demanding more from their kids' schools. It means creating more partnerships between high schools, colleges and businesses so that young people can learn the skills they will need for their future careers. It means cultivating a new generation of world-class teachers and school leaders. And, of course, it means young people stepping up to take responsibility for their futures as well.

The good news is we know that all of this is possible. Every day, we are seeing examples of communities stepping up to support their young people. I saw one of these efforts firsthand in San Antonio, Texas, where they were celebrating their fourth annual college week. I had a chance to speak at their college signing day, which is a huge rally with thousands of high school seniors who publicly announce their plans to attend and graduate from college.

Not only the graduating seniors were involved — everyone in San Antonio wears their college T-shirts on signing day. All week long, the community holds college-application workshops for high schoolers and gives middle school students advice on getting to college. 

From Immigrant To College Student

Everything they are doing in San Antonio is helping to support the dreams of so many promising young people. They are young people like Rocio Alvarado, a remarkable young woman I met on my visit. Rocio's family came to the United States when she was a child, and they lived together in one tiny, crumbling room. Her father worked long hours for low wages, and when they needed money to pay for her mother's medications, Rocio helped sell homemade tamales outside her school. Despite these challenges, Rocio's family believed deeply in the power of education, and they pushed Rocio to study as hard as she could. So Rocio rose from English-as-a-second-language classes all the way to Advanced Placement classes. Next fall, she is heading off to the University of Texas at San Antonio to pursue her degree.

There are young people just like Rocio in every community in this country — young people with so much promise and so many skills. All they need is a little extra support from folks like us. So we have got to make the sacrifices and investments that will inspire every child to reach higher and give them an opportunity to fulfill their boundless potential. If we do that, then I am confident that we can give all our kids the bright futures they so richly deserve.