President to address students

WASHINGTON - President Obama plans to tell students Wednesday in a back-to-school message that America needs their passion and ideas in the tough economic times.

The White House released the text of the president's message early to defuse any potential charges that Obama would give a political speech to the nation's schoolchildren.

Two years ago, some conservatives accused Obama of bringing politics into the classroom with a similar back-to-school speech.

The president plans to tell students that they are the country's future and that "whether we fall behind or race ahead in the coming years is up to you."

He encourages the students to work hard in school and to pursue an education after high school.

Obama also confesses that he wasn't always the best student and didn't love every class he took.

"I'll let you in on another secret: I still don't always know the answers," he says in prepared remarks. "But if I'd have just tuned out because the class sounded boring, I might have missed out on something that I enjoyed and something that's still useful to me today."

Obama is scheduled to speak at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington. The magnet school, which opened in 1981, is designed to provide a rigorous academic background in preparation for college.

The address will be broadcast live on television and online.

Last week, Obama announced his administration would allow states to apply for waivers around unpopular proficiency standards in the Bush-era No Child Left Behind education law.