Michelle Obama: How The First Lady Boosted Students' Test Scores And Grades In This All-Girls School

First Lady Michelle Obama is known to champion education in women in America and around the world. Her hand in many policies and projects on education is evident. But her visit to a London's all-girls school back in 2009 has reportedly made a huge impact that the girls who have heard her talk saw marked improvement in their grades and test scores.

The Conversation reports that Michelle Obama went to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School while her husband, Pres. Barack Obama, attended the G20 summit in 2009. She met with 37 young girls from the ages of 11 to 16, who were able to listen to her speech. She emphasized to the girls just how much her education helped her get ahead in life, even if her family didn't have much in terms of privileges.

"I wasn't raised with wealth or resources of any social standing to speak of," said Michelle Obama in her speech, per Raw Story. She used herself as an example of what can happen when ordinary girls "are loved and nurtured by the people around them."

The children at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School who met Michelle Obama were not from privileged backgrounds as well. According to Telegraph, some are refugees and many come from black or minority families.

But when the First Lady talked, they listened with so much intent that the impact even surprised the school teachers. "The girls really took on board the message about working hard," said Jo Dibb, the head teacher in the Telegraph report.

In a study of the students conducted by TES, it was learned that there had been a "very striking" increase in the students' grades and test scores as of 2012. The school itself has been doing well and was not considered as low-performing institution, but the visit and the talk by Michelle Obama still made a big difference.

Experts note on the importance of role models that can inspire school children. Schools should see to it to find resource speakers who can make the connection, which is what First Lady Michelle Obama did when she told the kids she was just like them when she was younger.