Watch West Wing Week here.

Call for Action: On Monday, President Obama traveled to Connecticut to assure Newtown families and all Americans he has not forgotten about that community’s tragedy. The President urged Americans to press Congress to vote on gun legislation:

And now they’re going to start denying your families a vote when the cameras are off and when the lobbyists have worked what they do? You deserve better than that. You deserve a vote.

On January 16, President Obama issued 23 executive actions to help reduce gun violence, and called on Congress to pass laws that would help keep guns out of the wrong hands and make our schools safer. The President and Vice President have worked for common-sense measures to protect our children and our communities. Both have spoken with families of gun violence, mayors, law enforcement officers, community leaders and Americans across the country.

• Read President Obama's plan for commonsense measures to reduce gun violence 
• Show Your Support on Social Media: “I support common-sense steps to reduce gun violence. #NowIsTheTime to act. Share this if you agree:”
• Sign on and share your story to help support the President’s plan to protect our kids and communities
• Photo Gallery: Vice President Joe Biden Meets with Groups to Develop Proposals on Gun Violence
• Video: President Obama Introduces a Plan to Reduce Gun Violence

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Watch the West Wing Week here.

Easter Egg Roll: On Monday, the First Family welcomed more than 30,000 guests to the South Lawn for the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll. The event was filled with activities ranging from the traditional Easter Egg Roll to readings from stars such as Danica Patrick, Adrian Peterson, and even Elmo.

The theme of “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You,” was inspired by the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, which seeks to solve the problem of childhood obesity. You can find demonstrations of healthy recipes from top chefs here and learn more about the Let’s Move! initiative here.

This year’s special guest was Robbie Novak -- better known as Kid President. Be sure to also check out a special presidential video message from April 1.

• For video and photos check out the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll page
• Watch: Behind the Scenes at the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll
• Download the 2013 Children’s Activity Book
• The 2013 #EasterEggRoll on Storify

Guns: On Thursday, President Obama traveled to Colorado to urge the American people to push Congress to vote on a set of common-sense proposals to help reduce gun violence. The President wants to close loopholes in the background check system to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and others who shouldn’t have them -- and prevent mass shootings like the one that killed 20 young children and six adults in Newtown, CT.

“If you want to buy a gun, whether it's from a licensed dealer or a private seller, you should at least have to pass a background check to show you're not a criminal or someone legally prohibited from buying one,” said the President. “And that's just common sense.”

• Now is the time to do something about gun violence page
• Sign on to show your support for the President’s plan to protect our kids and communities
• Download the full text of the President’s Plan to reduce gun violence
• See the 23 Executive Actions President Obama announced

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Today marks World Autism Awareness Day, and it was filled with events, meetings, and information campaigns here at the White House, across the Obama Administration, and across the country.

It was fitting that President Obama unveiled a bold new research initiative designed to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain.  The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative will be essential to advancing what we know about the complexities of autism. Originally referenced during the State of the Union, this ambitious new project was launched with approximately $100 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, and ultimately aims to help researchers find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and autism.

As President Obama said today: “We’re still unable to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s or autism, or fully reverse the effects of a stroke. And the most powerful computer in the world isn’t nearly as intuitive as the one we’re born with. So there is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked, and the BRAIN Initiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and how we learn and how we remember. And that knowledge could be -- will be -- transformative.”

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Watch the West Wing Week here.

Middle East Trip: Last Friday, President Obama wrapped up his visit to the Middle East. The President paid respects with a visit to Mount Herzl where he honored two Jewish heroes, Theodor Herzl and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Then President Obama took a tour of Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Complex.

Later, President Obama joined Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the West Bank where they toured the crypt containing the birthplace of Jesus.

The President then traveled to Jordan, the final stop of his trip, where he was greeted at Al-Hummar Palace in Amman by King Abdullah II and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. The President participated in an official welcoming ceremony followed by a series of events in Jordan.

Check out our Middle East trip gallery and visit our Middle East page for more information.

Remembering Sandy Hook: On Thursday, President Obama promised Americans he had not forgotten about the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. Standing with parents and teachers of gun violence victims, the President pressed Congress to pass legislation to protect our children and our communities.

And I want to make sure every American is listening today. Less than 100 days ago that happened, and the entire country was shocked. And the entire country pledged we would do something about it and that this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten. I haven't forgotten those kids. Shame on us if we've forgotten.

In January, the President put out a series of common-sense proposals to reduce gun violence. Download the plan here.

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Last month, President Obama said in a speech in Chicago, “There is no surer path to success in the middle class than a good education.”

Today, I had the opportunity to speak at the Department of Education’s Higher Education Program Project Directors’ Meeting, which gathered thousands of people who work every day to ensure that more students receive a good education.

Project directors from across the country came together in Washington, DC to discuss how to better serve students in their three program and grant administration areas: Institutional Service (IS), which strengthens institutions that serve largely minority or low-income populations and first-generation college students; Student Service (SS), which works to provide academic preparation,  support and career development; and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), which seeks to help implement, evaluate, and share innovative reforms to improve productivity, efficiency, and completion in higher education.

Their work supports President Obama’s goal for the United States to again lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates by the year 2020.

To reach this target, we project that the proportion of college graduates in the U.S. will need to increase by 50 percent nationwide by the end of the decade. That means that eight million more young adults will need to earn associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and postsecondary certificates by 2020.

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Earlier this month, President Obama met with 40 of the nation’s top scientists and engineers—discoverers of new drug candidates to treat common cancers; inventors of tools to help surgeons in the operating room; developers of complex algorithms that can help robots navigate; and more. All of these innovators were finalists in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search competition, and all of them are still in high school.

These students are living proof that with the right skills, tools, and opportunities, innovation and discovery can happen at any age. That’s why the Obama Administration is placing a stronger emphasis than ever on equipping the next generation of American innovators in science, technology, engineering, and math—the “STEM” fields.

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As a community college teacher, I know that excellence happens every day in community college classrooms and campuses across this country. Both in my classroom and when I’m on the road visiting community colleges, I am fortunate to see firsthand the tremendous impact these schools have on so many students.  I see students striving, teachers inspiring, and administrators innovating – each doing their best to make the community college experience richer and more meaningful. President Obama has made community colleges a centerpiece of his goal to have the best-educated, most competitive workforce in the world.

Earlier today at the Newseum in Washington, DC, leaders in education and business congratulated Santa Barbara City College from California and Walla Walla Community College from Washington for being selected as co-winners of the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Kingsborough Community College – CUNY from New York and Lake Area Technical Institute from South Dakota were honored as finalists-with-distinction.

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White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett talks with Geoffrey Canada, the President and Chief Executive Officer for Harlem Children's Zone. (by Harlem Children's Zone)

Ed. note: The full text of the op-ed by Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett is printed below. The piece is published today on TheGrio.com and can be found HERE. 

A child’s zip code should never determine her destiny. But today, a child’s health, educational outcomes, and lifetime economic opportunities are often negatively impacted when she grows up in a high poverty community. 

Harlem Children’s Zone is working to change that. This week, I visited this neighborhood nonprofit, with its President and CEO, Geoffrey Canada. I took a tour of the health clinic and library inside their new school building. While I was impressed by the facilities, I was even more impressed by the passionate commitment and energy of Geoffrey and his team in truly transforming Harlem into an environment that allows children to achieve their dreams.

Since 1990, Harlem Children’s Zone has provided free support for the community through new schools, parenting workshops, a pre-school program, after-school programs and child-oriented health programs for thousands of families.

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Ed. note: This post was originally published on the website of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as part of a series for National Consumer Protection Week

Americans owe more than a trillion dollars in student loan debt. That’s more than we owe on credit cards, more than we owe on car loans – and it’s still growing.

So, if you’re going to invest in a college degree, we want you to be able to choose the best deal for your situation. Students are overwhelmed with options and aren’t sure how to compare them. In the absence of apples-to-apples comparisons, they’re left to their own devices when making a choice that will have significant consequences for their financial future.

Here is the suite of tools we’ve developed to help you along the way:

Paying for College

From start to finish, we can help you make informed financial decisions about paying for college.

Repay student debt

While we can’t give you advice for your exact situation, we can point you in the right direction.

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Ed. note: This post was originally published on the official Let's Move! website.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the “Let’s Move!” Google+ Hangout in the Blue Room of the White House. March 4, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Earlier today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined her first ever Google+ Hangout live from the Blue Room of the White House. Continuing our series of “Fireside Hangouts” on Google+, Mrs. Obama participated in a virtual conversation about Let’s Move!, her initiative to ensure our nation’s kids grow up healthy and reach their full potential.

During the Hangout, the First Lady discussed the new Let’s Move! Active Schools program designed to bring physical activity back to schools, the importance of family dinner, steps to get healthier lunches into schools – and favorite dance moves (of course, it’s the dougie. And yes, everyone in the hangout dougied together.)  Watch the full video:

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