Did President Obama’s State of the Union address satisfy expectations on education? Read what these educators and influencers had to say on Twitter.
U.S. President Barack Obama’s emphasis on education during his fifth State of the Union address [1], which last slightly more than one hour, generated a lot of buzz on social media sites including Twitter. While some praised and supported the President’s speech, others were more pessimistic, claiming that the issue of education did not receive as much attention as it should have.
From working to ensure every child has access to a quality education to connecting classrooms with internet access, here are five Twitter posts from some of the biggest influencers in education.
Michelle Rhee [2], former Chancellor of Washington, DC public schools and arguably America’s most-famous education activist, praised Obama’s remarks [3] on preparing students with the necessary skills to be marketable in the workforce.
Darleen Opfer [4], director of RAND Education and Distinguished Chair in Education Policy, observed that the President mentioned “education” and “schools” 26 fewer times [5] than he had in the previous State of the Union address.
Elementary school teacher Dan Phelps [6] felt that Obama’s comments on education [7] offered nothing new, and insinuated that educators – not corporate business – should be in charge of formulating education policy.
President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass [8] opined that it would have been preferable if the President narrowed his focus on education [9] to provide more detailed solutions.
Doug Levin [10], executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), questioned why Obama’s message on education [11] did not translate to legitimate education priorities in the United States.
What did you think of the President’s State of the Union address? Did his remarks on education satisfy your expectations? Share your opinions with us in the comments section below and follow the conversation on Twitter at @eschoolnews [12].