Subject: Daily Message Points -- May 3, 2016
From: "Cunnane, Pat EOP/WHO" <[email-masked]>
To: "Cunnane, Pat EOP/WHO" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 3 May 2016 15:11:47 +0000

Daily Message Points

May 3, 2016

President Obama Celebrates Great Teachers and Our Nation's Educational Progress

*         Today, on National Teacher Appreciation Day and building on announcements made over the past week, the President will honor the National Teacher of the Year and celebrate the remarkable educators across the country who have helped us achieve extraordinary progress over the past seven and a half years.

*         From day one, President Obama has recognized that America's future is written in our classrooms, and that our teachers and educators deserve our support.

*         That's why, throughout his Administration, the President has not only supported our educators, but also promoted a bold vision for improving our education system to give all students the fair chance they deserve.

*         And, as outlined in a new White House and Department of Education Report, we've made real progress:

o   Reducing the number of dropouts.

o   Raising the graduation rate to all-time highs.

o   Raising academic standards to prepare students for college and career in nearly every state.

o   Expanding the availability of high-quality preschool and digitally connecting America's classrooms.

*         Today, the White House will underscore the change underway in America's schools, especially at the preschool, elementary and high-school levels, and announce progress toward reaching the President's goal of preparing an additional 100,000 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers for America's classrooms by 2021.

*         The White House is also highlighting new efforts to support great educators:

o   TEACH - a public-private collaboration led by the U.S. Department of Education and Microsoft, with support from organizations including Facebook, College Football Playoff Foundation and MyCollege Options - will launch new commitments to attract a strong teacher workforce.

o   The Department of Education will collaborate with the ASCD, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Foundation Charitable Trust, and Carnegie Corporation of New York in their work to support teacher-led initiatives that strengthen teachers' professional learning and improve student outcomes.

o   And organizations like Spotify and the College Football Playoff Foundation will launch new efforts to support and encourage great teaching.

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