President Obama to students: Keep trying

President Obama will address students nationwide Tuesday about the importance of taking personal responsibility for one’s education - an address made controversial by a since-abandoned follow-up assignment decried as political propaganda.

The president’s speech, which will be delivered at Arlington’s Wakefield High School at noon, cites Mr. Obama’s own example and the examples of young people who have struggled to remain in school yet persevered and completed their education under difficult circumstances.

“And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you - don’t ever give up on yourself,” Mr. Obama says in the speech, according to a copy of the remarks posted on the White House Web site Monday afternoon. “Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.”

Some critics say the president is trying to inject politics into classrooms through proposed lesson plans distributed to accompany the speech. The U.S. Department of Education last week backed away from a proposal developed in conjunction with the White House to have teachers assign students a paper on how to “help the president.”

Mr. Obama does not mention the controversy in his speech.

Conservative activists have accused Mr. Obama of trying to build a “cult of personality” to enlist children to push his “socialist agenda.”

Although the White House scaled back its proposed lesson plans, some families have said they plan to keep their children home from school to avoid the president’s message.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Sunday called the controversy “silly.”

In Virginia, the Loudoun County school district has opted against a live presentation of the presidential address and instead will post a Web-based version for later use.

District officials said the decision was based on scheduling, not politics.

Wakefield, one of three high schools in Arlington County, has about 1,400 students enrolled and had a 63.6 percent on-time graduation rate last year.

School officials describe Wakefield as a “richly diverse school.” Forty-seven percent of students enrolled last year were Hispanic, 27.1 percent were black, 14.4 percent were white and 11 percent were Asian, school system figures show.

Nearly half the students at Wakefield are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

The president’s visit is expected to complicate the first day of classes for Wakefield students. Officials at Wakefield sent parents a page-long list of guidelines for their children to follow because of the heightened security.

Most school parking lots will be closed and streets around the school will be closed to traffic and parking. Students were directed to walk to school or take the bus.

Students were asked not to carry any extra bags or backpacks, to avoid wearing or carrying anything metallic and to eat breakfast, because the president’s appearance will delay the school’s lunch service.

Cameras and cell phones will be allowed to capture photos and video, but students must remain seated in the bleachers.

School officials say they are excited about the president’s visit.

“Needless to say, we are honored and thrilled to have Wakefield selected for this event,” Principal Doris B. Jackson said.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, and we are grateful that the president will be with us as we kick off the new school year,” he said.