March 10, 2009 7:30 PM
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Day 50: Obama Lays Out Education Priorities
4855950On his fiftieth day in office, President Obama laid out his priorities on education. He called for higher standards for both students and teachers, a reduced dropout rate, and more classroom time for students, either in the form of longer schooldays or more days in school each year.
"…we will end what has become a race to the bottom in our schools and instead, spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments," he said. "This is an area where we are being outpaced by other nations. It's not that their kids are any smarter than ours – it's that they are being smarter about how to educate their kids."
The president also faced growing opposition from Congressional Democrats about certain aspects of his agenda. Check out Chip Reid's CBS Evening News report on the opposition below.
"…we will end what has become a race to the bottom in our schools and instead, spur a race to the top by encouraging better standards and assessments," he said. "This is an area where we are being outpaced by other nations. It's not that their kids are any smarter than ours – it's that they are being smarter about how to educate their kids."
The president also faced growing opposition from Congressional Democrats about certain aspects of his agenda. Check out Chip Reid's CBS Evening News report on the opposition below.
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Brian Montopoli Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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