carole smith, as i talked about, is the superintendent of the portland public schools. then we have a fantastic turn around school here in d.c., luke moore high school, which is an alternative high school with a charismatic and hard driving principal. we have rose smith, a teacher there and daquan smith, a senior there. f i could ask them to come ou real start of the show, high school senior daquan burley. i could not have done this in high school. you're way ahead of me. you're a senior now. i'd love to hear what the school was like in the first couple of years before the turn around and what the environment and what the culture is like now. >> well, the first couple of years, me being so young, when i came i was 14 years old and everybody else was all older than me. so my first year there i was young. so a lot of stuff was new to me. like couple of dudes was in there -- not dudes but kid was in there -- >> a couple of dudes, that's okay. [ laughter ] >> like i wasn't really used to it. like they was smoking, gambling. >> in the school? >> in the school. i tried my bes

one of our panelists you will hear from in a few minutes, carol smith, a fantastic superintendent in portland, oregon, will talk in a moment you about the program worked in her district at roosevelt high school. two years ago roosevelt was named one of the worst schools in the state. in its first year in the s.i.g program roosevelt has had a 14% jump in the four-year graduation rate. attendance is up. test scores are up. discipline issues are down. just as telling and important roosevelt's educators have fostered a new belief among students about what is possible for them, the arts, for example, are thriving, and so is the school's drama program. last summer the students performed a play at the international thespian festival in nebraska, a first for a public school from portland and to make sure they all could make the trip the drama director took out a second mortgage on her home. that's remarkable, remarkable commitment, but we have to give her some help and i'm going to figure out how to do that. in cities like st. louis and portland, maine, local unions are looking to improve an

also to carol smith and rose smith. our next speaker is a national treasure and part of his job is to worry about the state of our national treasure. jean the machine by some, for his work ethic, he has been an extraordinary public servant across administrations. first, as director of the economic counsel under president clinton, then to timothy geithner and now as assistant to the president and director of economic counsel for president obama. what's more, a good midwesterner from minnesota, a great tennis player and a good lawyer. given this year's grad nation theme, education and the economy, he is a perfect speaker for the occasion. to close out this plenary section with keynote remarks, please warmly welcome from the white house, gene sperling. >> well, thank you very much. john got most of that right. it is true i went to college in minnesota, but i'm actually from ann arbor, michigan. that's my home. i am a huge michigan fan. and i'm still in my third day of mourning over the tragic loss to the university of ohio

carol smith is the superintendent of portland public schools. fantastic turnaround school and washington. we have a business and tech teacher there, rose smith. [applause] i will start with the real star of the show. i could not have done this and best -- in high school. you have been at the school for four years? share with us with the school was like before the turnaround of what the culture is like now. >> the first couple of years, when i came i was 14 years old. everybody else was older than me. my first years there, i was young. a lot of stuff was new to me like a couple of kids -- i was not really used to kids smoking and gambling and things like that. >> in the school? what's in the school. i tried my best to stay away from it. it was all around so it was hard. a couple of years after that when the new staff came, everything was shut down. >> students are taking their education more seriously now? >> yes, sir. >> what has changed? >> most of the teachers did not really care my first couple of years. even if it was wrong, it would pass us

ben smith and his chief amy holmes. carol with the equation.e never had a longer panel. >> it's a big win for mitt romney. a lot of the cnn experts saying this could be a bit of a game-changing night. >> it could be and it stacks up also with michigan and ohio and getting those central stage where santorum did badly. and if you look at the delegate count, you have that inevitability argument where romney has more than twice santorum in the delegate count. and he has more than santorum and gingrich put together. >> but he's got all the delegates. where's the love? >> i mean, it's just not there. in fact, what happened in illinois wasn't so much that people came to love him. but the people don't live in ill now. >> that's sot of what happened everywhere. >> he did that majority of people who support the tea party and he got somewhat conservative voters and moderates, which, by the way, is quite a nice profile. >>. >> yeah, mike, let's talk money for a moment. newt is just trying to whack him with this as if it's a weakness. he's got all of this m

smith worked and lived. they have ways for the employees to complain anonymously. but caroley're hearing about these xlaims complaints from smith. >> so he didn't make any trips to hr, huh? >> apparently not. he took the "new york times" route. leave in a blaze of glory, right? burn a few bridges. >> yeah. alison kosik, thank you. >>> the president seems to be playing it safe with his march madness picks. why fought a cinderella story? we'll give that question to the political buzz panel, that's next. 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! ♪ ( whirring and crackling sounds ) man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, b

smith does something that did it believes is dumb, tattles on them. taylor spent his time getting ready. he has built pose with the help of a black man named carol jones in western louisiana. and he can supply his forces so they can get to it. banks and porter, up the river, taylor has ordered his forces, all the way from the mississippi river across north louisiana, and also in texas, all the way from the texas wine just west of shreveport. everybody gets together to come and to gather. so it takes a while for the forces to come. they are be supplied, they are ready. nobody believes that the yankees can move that quickly, and they did. and so every time the texans try to come across a predetermined point the yankees already added them. it's just like a big race, one site coming of the red river, which is the union. the texans coming up what is today the equivalent of highway 59, u.s. highway 59 in texas. and they will cross over into louisiana. louisiana troops have come from central louisiana, northeast louisiana, back to northwest. and the texas infantry under walker have been in the south part of the red river valley, and they come up. altho

carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy th. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. alex smithe we expected they would. but just like smith's journey, this is a bumpy ride over the last week. now he is coming back to the niners. they agreed on a new contract. basically the deal that was on the table before, -- before manning mania turned the universe upside down. we don't know if the niners added anymore gawrn teed -- guaranteed money. the bottom line is alex is a 9er once again. peyton manning is officially now a bronco. five-year $96 million contract. it is a series of one-year deals giving denver financial protection if manning's neck prevents him from playing. manning, well he had john elway very nervous during this week, but payton thinks he can still play and he is out to prove it. >> it will be speculated on and debated for months to come whether it was the right decision or not. i will go out and try to make it the right decision. >> the sharks haven't missed the playoffs since 2003, but that is the direction they are heading. and after losing in l.a. against the kings,

smith does something, taylor believes and toddler son in. taylor spent his time getting ready. he's built supply depots with the help of a creole black man named caroliana. and he can supply his forces if they can get to them. this banks importer, the river. taylor has ordered his armed forces in a.i. are in the mississippi river across north louisiana. and also in texas all the way from the texas line, just west of shreveport downs to not accord day. everybody gets together. it's a gathering. so it takes a while for these forces to come. there resupplied. they're ready. nobody believed that the yankees could move that quickly and they did. and so, every time the texans try to come across at a predetermined point, the yankees are already ahead of them. it's like a big raise. one side coming up the red river. the texans coming up what is today the equivalent of highway 59, u.s. 59 in texas. and they will cross into louisiana desoto parish. louisiana troops have come from central louisiana hud's louisiana back to northwest and the tax observatory under walker have been in the south part of red river valley and they come out. although no one realizes t

smith does something that taylor believes is dumb, he tattles on him. taylor spent his time getting ready. he's built supply depots with the help of a creole black man named carol jones in western louisiana. and he can supply his forces if they can get to them. and as banks and porter come up the river, taylor has ordered his far-flung forces -- and they are far-flung always way from the mississippi river across north louisiana and also in texas all the way from the texas line just west of shreveport down to the bay -- everybody gets together, come, it's a gathering. so it takes a while for these forces to come. they're resupplied. they're ready. nobody believed that the yankees could move that quickly, and they did. and so every time the texans try to come across at a predetermined point, the yankees are already ahead of them, so it's like a big race. one side coming up the red river, which is the union, the texans coming up what is today the equivalent of highway 59, u.s. 59 in texas. and they will cross over into louisiana at logan's port in desoto parish. louisiana troops have come from central louisiana and northeast louisiana back to northwest, and the te