美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2015.09.13

Hi, everybody. Next week marks seven years since a financial crisis on Wall Street that would usher in some hard years for working families on Main Street. Soon after that, I took office. And we set out to rebuild our economy on a new foundation for growth and prosperity by investing in things that grow our middle class – things like jobs, health care, and education.

大家好.下周标志着华尔街爆发的把主街的工薪家庭卷进艰难的岁月的金融危机已经七周年了。此后不久，我就任总统。我们开始通过投资于发展中产阶级的事项—诸如就业、医疗和教育等来在新的基础上重建我们的旨在发展和繁荣的经济。

Today, our businesses have created more than 13 million new jobs over the last five and a half years. The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in more than seven years. Another 16 million Americans have gained health insurance. Our high school graduate rate is the highest it's ever been, and more people are graduating from college than ever before. We are coming back – and stronger.

今天，我们的企业在过去的五年半里已经创造了超过1千3百万个新就业岗位。失业率处于七年多以来的最低。另有1千8百万美国人获得医保。我们的高中毕业率处于历史最高水平，大学毕业生超过以往任何时期。我们正在全面复苏，而且更加强大了。

Still, in an economy that’s increasingly based on knowledge and innovation, some higher education is the surest ticket to the middle class. By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education. That’s one reason why a degree from a two-year college will earn you $10,000 more each year than someone who only finished high school. One study showed that a degree from a four-year university earns you $1 million more over the course of a lifetime.

在一个与日俱增地依赖知识和发明的经济里，得到一些高等教育仍然是进入中产阶级的最好保票。本十年末期，将有三分之二的就业岗位要求一些高等教育。这就是为什么持有两年制大学文凭的人比仅仅高中毕业的人每年多挣10,000美元。一项研究表明持有本科文凭，你将在一生中比别人多挣1百万美元。

The country with the best-educated workforce in the world is going to win the 21st century economy. I want that to be America. But as college costs and student debt keep rising, the choices that Americans make when searching for and selecting a college have never been more important. That’s why everyone should be able to find clear, reliable, open data on college affordability and value – like whether they’re likely to graduate, find good jobs, and pay off their loans. Right now, however, many existing college rankings reward schools for spending more money and rejecting more students – at a time when America needs our colleges to focus on affordability and supporting all students who enroll. That doesn’t make sense, and it has to change.

拥有受到最好的教育的劳动力的国家将在21世纪的经济中胜出。我希望这个国家是美国。但是高等教育成本和学生贷款持续上涨，美国人在搜索和选择大学时的决策从来没有这么重要过。这就是为什么每个人都应该能找到关于高校的可承受性和价值的清楚、可靠和公开的数据—诸如他们是否可能毕业、找到好的工作和偿还他们的贷款。然而，迄今为止，在美国需要我们的大学致力于可承受性和支持所有录取的学生的时候，现有的大学排名鼓励了那些花销更大和让更多学生读不起的学校。这不靠谱，必须改变。

So, today, my Administration is launching a new College Scorecard, designed with input from those who will use it the most – students, families, and counselors. Americans will now have access to reliable data on every institution of higher education. You’ll be able to see how much each school’s graduates earn, how much debt they graduate with, and what percentage of a school’s students can pay back their loans – which will help all of us see which schools do the best job of preparing America for success. And to reach more folks, we’re working with partners in the academic, non-profit, and private sectors that will help families use this new data to navigate the complicated college process and make informed decisions.

所以今天，本届政府发起了一个新的大学记分卡项目，该项目依据将来使用它最多的人们—学生们、家庭和中学校长们的输入设计。美国人现在将可以获得关于每个高等教育机构的可靠数据。你们将能看到每个学校的毕业生收入多少，他们毕业时负债多少和一个学校的毕业生可以还清贷款的比率—这将帮助我们所有人看清哪个学校为美国培养人才的工作做得最好。为了惠及更多的人们，我们将与学术界、非盈利机构和私有板块合作，他们将帮助家庭利用这些新数据了解复杂的高校录取程序并且做出知情的决策。

The status quo serves some colleges and the companies that rank them just fine. But it doesn't serve our students well – and that doesn't serve any of us well. There are colleges dedicated to helping students of all backgrounds learn without saddling them with debt. We should hold everybody to that standard. Our economic future depends on it.

目前的现状对于一些大学和给它们排名的公司情有独钟。但是这对我们的学生们没有什么好处—继而对我们所有人都没有什么好处。有一些大学致力于帮助来自所有背景的学生们学习而不背负高额债务。我们应该用这个标准衡量所有人。我们的经济的未来依靠它。

This work is just beginning. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll continue to improve the Scorecard based on what we learn from students, parents, counselors, and colleges themselves. The goal is to help everybody who’s willing to work for a higher education search for and select a college that fits their goals. Together, we can make sure that every student has the chance to get a great education and achieve their full potential.

这个工作才刚刚开始。在未来的几周和几个月，我们将继续基于我们从学生们、家长们、校长们和大学本身获得的数据改进记分卡项目。我们的目标是帮助每个愿意为获得高等教育努力的人们搜索和选择符合他们的目的的大学。我们共同努力就能确保每个学生有机会获得最好的高等教育和发挥他们的全部潜能。

Thanks, everybody. And have a great weekend.

谢谢各位，周末快乐。