As students across the nation head back to the classroom for the new academic year, middle schoolers at one public school in northeast Washington, D.C. had President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on hand to mark the occassion. 

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Eliot-Hine Middle School located east of the U.S. Capitol for the first day of the 2023-24 school year in the District of Columbia on Monday
  • The first couple shook hands with seventh graders at the end of a staircase as they headed to lunch and stopped by an eighth grade math class, where they were joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the school’s chancellor
  • Monday’s school visit kicks off several back-to-school events for the administration in the coming days and weeks
  • The topic of education has received heightened political attention recently; Several candidates called for shutting down the federal Department of Education at the first GOP presidential debate last week

On Monday, the president and first lady visited Eliot-Hine Middle School, located east of the U.S. Capitol, for the first day of the 2023-24 school year in the District of Columbia. The first couple shook hands with seventh graders at the bottom of a staircase as they headed to lunch and stopped by an eighth grade math class, where they were joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the school’s chancellor. 

“This is like the Beatles,” one school employee said in response to the students’ excitement. 

In the classroom, Biden asked about the middle schoolers’ hardest subject to which the students shouted “Math.” 

The president pointed out to students that he married a teacher. The first lady added she is working on her lesson plans for the new school year, which starts next week. 

Jill Biden – an English and writing teacher at Northern Virginia Community College – is the only first lady to keep her career outside of the White House as her husband served as president. 

Monday’s school visit kicks off several back-to-school events for the administration in the coming days and weeks. The first lady will visit the Midwest to focus on mental health in schools and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will set off on a bus tour. 

As students headed back to the classroom over the past few weeks, extreme heat forced districts in several states to shift schedules.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday argued the president has successfully aided schools in reopening since COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns – noting when Biden first took office “less than half of kindergarten to [12-grade] students were going to school in-person," during the press briefing. 

When pressed on persistent low test scores for the age group of students Biden visited Monday, Jean-Pierre acknowledged there is “more work to do.” 

“We've seen the data, we've seen the numbers,” she said. “What it means to us, is that more work needs to be done and we're committed.” 

In a fact sheet released on Monday, the White House touted Biden’s efforts to improve access to mental health support for students – pointing to funding in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act he signed last year and noting the administration has, thus far, awarded $286 million to schools to boost hiring of mental health professionals in schools. The White House also highlighted the extra federal funds the president has secured to support underserved students. 

The topic of education has received heightened political attention recently, with Republicans often arguing parents should have more power. At the first GOP presidential debate last week, several candidates called for shutting down the federal Department of Education.