Members of the 51st class of U.S. Presidential Scholars pose for a picture outside of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, June 22, 2015. (Photo by U.S. Department of Education)

Yesterday, President Obama signed an Executive Order expanding the United States Presidential Scholars program to establish a new category of outstanding scholars in career and technical education (CTE).

The announcement of this new award category of CTE Presidential Scholars is fitting because the White House also welcomed and honored the 51st class of Presidential Scholars yesterday afternoon. The Presidential Scholars program is among the nation’s most distinguished honors for high school students, and has not been expanded since 1979.

Established by President Johnson in 1964, the Presidential Scholars Program has honored almost 7,000 of America’s top-performing students. The program was expanded in 1979 by President Carter to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Each year, the program recognizes two high school seniors from each state and 15 scholars at-large on the basis of excellence in scholarship. An additional 20 scholars are selected for exceptional talent in the arts.

Javier L. Spivey, a member of the 51st class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, speaks at a discussion in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, June 22, 2015. (Photo by U.S. Department of Education)

All Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments in Washington, D.C., where they meet with national leaders in a variety of fields. This year, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan awarded each honoree a Presidential Scholar Medallion in a ceremony on Sunday, June 21. 

The Presidential Scholars program is overseen by the Commission on Presidential Scholars and administered by staff at the U.S. Department of Education. This Commission, appointed by President Obama, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

Of the 3 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 4,300 candidates qualified for the 2015 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers or the National YoungArts Foundation’s nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

The Administration looks forward to partnering with nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations, to cultivate and nominate the inaugural class of CTE Presidential Scholar nominees for the Commission to consider in 2016.

Next year, the White House will welcome the inaugural class of 20 CTE Presidential Scholars, who will be selected by the Commission on Presidential Scholars based on outstanding scholarship and demonstrated ability in career and technical education. Yesterday’s launch of the CTE Presidential Scholars program was supported by Senator Kaine, who led a bipartisan effort in the United States Senate to encourage recognition of excellence in career and technical education.

This announcement complements a convening that will be hosted next week at the White House, recognizing outstanding students, teachers, and administrators who have shown exceptional leadership in driving innovation in the field of career and technical education.

Their budget would cut funding for pre-k through 12 education by $3.1 billion. This includes a $1.2 billion cut for Title I funding -- money that could fund 4,500 schools, 17,000 teachers and aides, and 1.9 million students.

Earlier this week, the President met with superintendents and other school officials from all across the country. Each of them brought at least one object -- from photos to books to charts -- that represented what this vital funding means to their school districts.

Every American should know exactly what disinvestment in Pre-K through 12 education would mean for school districts around the country. Listen to each of these school leaders describe the vital programs in their districts that Title I helps fund.

1. "Acceleration Academies" that provide a month's worth of learning in one week's time.

Michael O'Neill, Chairperson of the Boston School Committee (Boston, MA)

2. A "Parent Academy" that has helped more than 3,000 parents prepare their kids to apply for college.

Barbara Jenkins, Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools (Orange County, FL)

3. "Parent University" college bus tours that make college a reality for more underserved kids.

Eric Gordon, Superintendent, Cleveland Metropolitan School District (Cleveland, OH)

4. A "Focus on Freshman" mentorship program that has increased graduation rates by more than 10 percent.

Valeria Silva, Superintendent, ISD 625 - St. Paul Public Schools (St. Paul, MN)

5. Extended school days that result in double-digit gains in math and reading scores.

Kaya Henderson, D.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction (Washington, D.C.)

6. Mentorship programs that connect students with professionals in cutting-edge fields.

Juan Cabrera, Superintendent, El Paso Independent School District (El Paso, TX)

7. Smaller classes that provide more direct attention to students in need of support.

Richard Carranza, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District (San Francisco, CA)

8. College and career-preparation programs that make sure students have the skills they need to succeed.

Darienne Driver, Superintendent, Milwaukee Public Schools (Milwaukee, WI)

9. Development classes that have reduced truancy issues among young black students.

Jumoke Hinton, Board Member, Oakland Unified School District (Oakland, CA)

10. An after-school robotics team that competes regionally.

Airick West, Board Member, Kansas City Public Schools (Kansas City, MO)

At a time when it's more important than ever to make sure young people have the skills they need to compete in a modern economy, the House Republican budget would bring per-pupil education funding to its lowest levels since 2000.

If you don't want to see programs like these rolled back, then make sure as many people as possible know what's at stake.

Related items you should read:

• Quiz: If You Were in Charge of the Nation's Budget, What Would You Do?
• Video: President Obama Meets with Superintendents from Around the Country
• Asked and Answered: Matthew's Letter to the President
• Senior Advisor Brian Deese on Medium: Building on a Uniquely American Recovery

As Congress readies itself to rewrite that law -- which is today the No Child Left Behind Act -- it is critical to ensure that this landmark education law maintains its core mandates of quality and equality, while taking on new challenges facing America’s students. Earlier this week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan put forward a set of principles for this law’s reauthorization that celebrate the progress we have made as a country while recognizing that we have room for further improvement.

The principles that Secretary Duncan put forward are as powerful as they are simple. 

First, every child deserves access to high-quality preschool to prepare them for success in kindergarten and beyond. Millions of children start kindergarten behind their peers because they lack access to high-quality early learning opportunities. On Monday, Secretary Duncan asked: “Will we work together to expand access to high-quality preschool…or is that optional?” 175 lawmakers made their answer clear last year by signing onto the Strong Start for America’s Children Act -- bipartisan legislation to make preschool available for all children.

Second, teachers and schools deserve access to greater resources and adequate support to help children reach high standards of learning. Reform without the necessary resources will shortchange educational opportunity. In February, the President will call for a $2.7 billion increase for education spending in his budget – including an additional $1 billion to restore cuts to the Title I program. As with any new spending proposals, we will offset these costs in our upcoming budget so as not to add to the deficit.

Third, Secretary Duncan affirmed that "the arts, history, foreign languages, and advanced math and sciences are essentials, not luxuries" in our public schools. Children deserve access to a complete and competitive curriculum that reflects learning in reading and math as well as these other core subjects.

Finally, every parent and community deserves to know that "schools are making a priority of the progress of all children," and to know that when students fall behind, "their schools will take action to improve." The hallmark of accountability for the progress of every child must be preserved in this congressional rewrite of this education law.

Secretary Duncan affirmed the need to maintain the requirement for all students to take annual, statewide assessments aligned to college- and career-readiness. Just yesterday, civil rights leaders representing students and parents across the country affirmed the importance of these assessments to ensure that our schools make progress for all children. But he also acknowledged the challenging topic that testing has become in education reform. With a reliance on standardized tests comes a responsibility to limit their use and to ensure their quality.

We believe a new education law should strike a better balance between providing parents, teachers, and students with the information that they need and ensuring that standardized testing doesn't take up too much time in school. That's why Secretary Duncan announced plans to "urge Congress to have states set limits on the amount of time spent on state- and district-wide standardized testing, and notify parents in they exceed these limits," following the lead of states like New York that limit the amount of time spent on testing to no greater than 2 percent of total classroom time.

A revised education law must foster the progress of all children and ensure that they are set up for success in college, careers and in life; it must foster innovation and advance equity; and it must better support and assist teachers and parents in their mission to help every child succeed. President Obama looks forward to working with the leadership in both chambers of Congress to pass a reauthorization that continues the path of opportunity, support, and resources that will deliver for every child.