Ok folks, I've decided to do a running narrative of President Obama's State of the Union address tonight. I'm only going to do this for issues related to education though, as I would hate to wade into other waters on an education blog.
In my opinion, the President has done a pretty good job of not running down the middle, but rather endorsing/supporting projects and philosophies of both the Democrats and Republicans. This is so interesting to me, because unlike the rest of their supposed platforms, Republicans have been pushing for more Federal centralization of education, and Democrats tend to fight for less government intervention in education. It'll be very interesting to see what happens. After my thoughts on the Presidents commentary on education, I'll provide some final thoughts. Enjoy!
Ok, to start, I had to pause my TV (I love DVR!) for a few minutes, so my times are going to be a little off. Just an FYI.
8:33 - The President cites the stimulus act as having a saved a teacher's job. Well, it's saved a lot of jobs in education, to be sure. He says jobs are the #1 priority for 2010. How will this impact education, which stands to lose a lot of jobs in a couple of years? Hopefully he fills us in.
8:41 - The President quickly cites how other countries are putting more emphasis on math and science, which helps them become more competitive. A complex issue, but it's hard to argue that other countries provide more central direction for education, including an emphasis on math and science.
8:49 - The President cites Race to the Top. He called it a bipartisan effort. I agree. He says we need to stop funding failure and status quo. I agree. "The best anti-poverty program is a first-class education." I agree. He says that ESEA reauthorization is a priority. Thank goodness, this needs to happen ASAP. The President talks about loan forgiveness for students that go on to college. Amen, amen, amen. Loans are breaking people's backs. Man, there is a lot in this little segment. I'm surprised he didn't hit more on Race to the Top and/or ESEA reauthorization. I'll reflect on this more at the end.
9:34 - Well, the speech is over. As I thought, President Obama didn't get into education issues too much. Although it's disappointing, it's understandable in my opinion. There is so much going on right now. The President hit on a wide range of topics. He touted Race to the Top, albeit briefly. He hit the point about ESEA reauthorization, which is kind of a must in my opinion.
I'm guessing that this speech won't go down as historic in the world of education. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's good to fly under the radar. I imagine that much that is happening now in the world of education will continue to move forward as is. That's a little scary, but could end up ok. I think it means that we need to ride the wave of the movements with Race to the Top and make the best of it.
