How can Obama save his presidency?

Liz Peek argues that Obama should focus on education:

After this second drubbing, how can President Obama bounce back? Simple. Zero in on a cause that has widespread support (unlike health care) and get something done. The president gave an excellent speech this week in North Carolina, at Forsyth Technical Community College, that could easily become the template for his comeback. In his remarks, he championed investments in education and in research and development. Importantly, he also acknowledged the crucial role that our businesses must play in our country’s success. “The most important contest we face is not between Democrats and Republicans,” he said. “It’s between America and our economic competitors all around the world.” He also commented that, “The best antidote to a growing deficit, by the way, is a growing economy.” At last. 

In particular, he pressed the need to reboot our public education system. He noted that the U.S. has slid in one generation from first to ninth place in the portion of young people earning college degrees; in high school graduation rates “we’re ranked 18th out of 24 industrialized nations,” and “27th in the proportion of science and engineering degrees we hand out.” These shameful numbers cited by the president were reinforced by the humiliating results of international tests announced earlier this week, showing that U.S. students are just average.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported the results of its 2009 global standardized testing of 15-year-olds in 65 countries around the world, called the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Students in Shanghai ranked first in science, reading and math, with students in Hong Kong performing nearly as well. The U.S. came in 23rd or 24th in most subjects. U.S. test-takers not only trailed far behind Chinese, Korean and Japanese youngsters, but also were outscored by students in countries that have faced economic trials, such as Estonia, Iceland and Poland – furthering the embarrassment. In explaining the results, the OECD noted the long hours that Chinese students put in preparing for tests – hours that extend into the weekends. In short, they work harder.

In his North Carolina speech, Obama said facing up to our education debacle was our Sputnik moment. He is right. To his credit, the president has sounded this theme before, as have his predecessors. However, President Obama has every opportunity to press for further changes in our education system, and now he has a need. Only a Democrat can take on the powerful teachers’ unions, who must be forced to overturn decades-long practices, such as firing the newest teachers instead of getting rid of the weakest performers, that have created a system undermined by mediocrity and incompetence. Moreover, as an outstandingly successful African-American, he is perfectly positioned to push parents in our poorest minority communities to support their children’s education goals. Teaching our children begins in the home and cannot be entirely the responsibility of our schools.