For those of you interested in what President Obama is scheduled to say to kids this week, you can read the prepared statement here. 

I don't frankly think all of the hulla-baloo over this is warranted.  Obama is not the first and probably not the last president to address school children.  And frankly, I think it's good for the President, and governors and mayors and anyone else in a position of trust and authority to acknowledge the young people of our country head on.

And after exhorting students - quite rightly - to do their best and take responsibility for their education, perhaps whoever is in office at the time can talk for a change about why education is one of the first arenas to have budget cuts.  Or why  - if education is so important for creating a good future both personally and as a nation and world, colleges end up cutting classes while continuing to bolster sports programs.  They can answer some hard questions about what we are and are not guaranteed in our educational, political and social institutions. 

Encouraging kids to do well in school is important.  But so is following up those exhortations with some hard commitments to providing educational environments that can adequately prepare students to be the leaders, the innovators, the guardians of tomorrow.  I'd like to think that kids will make the commitments that President Obama and other presidents before him have asked of them.  I'd just like to think that our government and society is going to be willing to hold up our end of the bargain.