President Barack Obama highlighted the importance of making America’s education system more competitive on a global scale as he spoke to a crowd of children, local officials, parents and others at a south-side middle school Wednesday.

Obama, who previously visited Madison in February 2008 and October 2007, said it was good to be back in the state and to see Gov. Jim Doyle, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

In particular, Obama talked about the Race to the Top program, which offers $4 billion in stimulus grants to competing states that show progress in improving education. This, he said, is one of the largest investments the federal government has ever made in education.

“We are not just handing it out,” Obama said. “We are challenging states to compete, and I have to tell you this was not an easy thing to get through Congress.”

Obama said some states may have to make changes to become eligible for the grants, including removing a ban on using standardized testing scores when evaluating teachers. Wisconsin, he said, is one of the states with the ban and is quickly working to reverse it.

This measure, he said, has created a lot of controversy among educators and others, but the purpose of using these scores is to increase accountability.

Obama also said the federal government will be looking for states that have shown a commitment to improving education by raising standards to an international level of excellence.

“I’m pleased to report that 48 states are now working to develop internationally competitive standards … because these young people are going to be growing up in an international environment where they’re competing not just against kids in Chicago or Los Angeles for jobs, but they’re competing against folks in Beijing and Bangalore,” Obama said.

Obama also said standards of excellence can be enhanced through smarter testing methods which employ critical thinking and creativity, making sure educators are of the highest quality, improving low-achieving schools and keeping close tabs on the education statistics in the state.

“There’s always excuses for why these schools can’t perform, but part of what we want is an environment in which everybody agrees … that there’s no excuse for mediocrity,” Obama said. “We will take drastic steps when schools aren’t working.”

University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin attended the event and said she was extremely impressed by Obama’s speech and the challenges he laid before the nation.

She added she is glad both Doyle and the state Legislature are taking the vital steps towards progress in education enhancement.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk agreed Obama’s speech was very inspiring and exciting for the county.

“This is the first time we’ve had a sitting president in Dane County in 59 years, so that was really exciting,” Falk said.

Falk also said she had a chance to meet Obama face-to-face at Dane County Regional Airport when Air Force One landed.

While many at the event were pleased with Obama’s visit, a number of protesters gathered on Fish Hatchery Road near the school to protest on various issues, including wars in the Middle East, immigration and health care.

Adam Schesch, organizer of a rally for the Madison Area Peace Coalition, said their organization had a variety of speakers talking about how the costs of the war have taken funding from numerous government programs, including education.

“Every program has either had cuts, has been shrunk or not expanded to meet their needs because of the lack of funding,” Schesch said.

Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the MPD did not have any trouble with protesters, though some groups were asked to move to designated areas due to road blocks.

DeSpain added there were around 250 local law enforcement officers working on the event today, with about 150 of them being MPD officers.