According to USA Today, Obama is also asking public-private partnerships and philanthropies to help the schools produce a well-educated workforce.
On Monday, he announced an initiative through which companies, labor unions and two-year colleges in 50 states would collaborate to improve job training and workforce development.
Today, he is scheduled to address business leaders, educators, and others at a White House summit aimed at better aligning learning with workforce goals.
"We want to make it easier to join students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire," Obama said Monday at the start of a meeting with his economic recovery advisory board. "We want to put community colleges and employers together to create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardroom."