But even with large federal involvement in education reform, Obama told attendees that the government can’t enact reforms and overhaul education alone.
“I always hear stories about how we can’t find enough engineers, we can’t find enough computer programmers,” he said. “You know what—that means our education system is not working the way it should.”
Creating a culture that lauds an interest and participation in STEM activities is an important first step.
“There has got to be a shift in American culture, where once again we buckle down and we say, ‘This stuff is important,’” he said. “We’ve got to lift our game up when it comes to technology, and math, and science.”
Despite federal budget challenges, Obama said it is still possible to invest in basic technology and research.
“We can still make investments in education, so we’ve already expanded the Pell Grant program so that more young people can go to college,” Obama said. “We’re investing more in STEM. We can still…invest in the next generation of broadband and wireless, and make sure everybody has access to the internet. We can do all those things while still bringing down the deficit medium term.”
At the event’s conclusion, Zuckerberg presented Obama with a hooded Facebook sweatshirt, the CEO’s signature attire.
- New research challenges fears about AI in the classroom - February 5, 2026
- How the FY25 funding freeze impacts students across America - July 24, 2025
- ‘Buyer’s remorse’ dogging Common Core rollout - October 30, 2014
Comments are closed.