Professor Van Ry

Michelle Obama will take on an expanded role in promoting the administration’s college-attainment goal during the rest of her time as first lady, she said at an event for educators and others who work with high-school students on Wednesday. That role will be “talking directly with young people,” Ms. Obama said, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Ms. Obama has already started this work. Back in November, she talked about the importance of college with high-school sophomores in Washington.

Her message: Students already have what it takes to succeed, but they must make a commitment to getting an education. Students who face challenges like living in a dangerous neighborhood or learning English as a second language have resilience, Ms. Obama said at the event, which came a day before the White House holds a summit on college access. <Read more.>

Via Beckie Supiano, The Chronicle of Higher Education.