Obama to champion his education reform plan

President Obama will deliver a major education reform speech at the National Urban League's 100th Anniversary Convention in Washington this morning (Thursday). He will discuss how his signature Race to the Top program and other initiatives are driving education reform across the country and focusing the nation on the goal of preparing students for college and careers, a statement from White House said.

"Now, I know some argue that during a recession, we should focus solely on economic issues," Obama says in prepared remarks released by the White House ahead of the address. "But education is an economic issue -- if not the economic issue of our time." The Obama education plan champions better teacher pay, but also asks for tangible results. "I want teachers to have higher salaries. I want them to have more support. I want them to be trained like the professionals they are -- with rigorous residencies like the ones doctors go through," Obama says. "All I'm asking in return -- as a president, and as a parent -- is a measure of accountability." Read more at CNN News online.