U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for higher standards and greater investments in education to reform the nation's public school system.
The president made his comments Tuesday during a visit to Massachusetts, where he showcased a school in a working-class section of Boston.
In his remarks at TechBoston Academy, the president said most of the school's recent graduates had gone on to college and that math and science scores there were consistently higher than at other schools in the city. Additionally, the president urged students to go to college, saying that in the next decade, many new jobs will require a level of education beyond a high school degree.
The president used the occasion to discuss federal spending, saying a budget that sacrifices the commitment to education is a budget that sacrifices the country's future. The president has made school improvements a major focus of his agenda, linking educational excellence to jobs and private sector competitiveness.
President Obama attended the school event with Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The school opened in 2002 with money from a foundation headed by the couple.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Bloomberg.
