Education in the State of the Union

On Tuesday, during President Obama’s fifth State of the Union address, he reinforced the message that education plays an important role in our country. The President began his speech by noting the critical role of educators: “Today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a student who needed it, and did her part to lift America’s graduation rate to its highest level in more than three decades.”

President Obama laid out his top priorities rooted in three key principles: opportunity, action, and optimism. Among the education topics discussed, the President recommitted to making high-quality pre-K available to every four-year-old, connecting 99 percent of students to high-speed broadband over the next four years, and redesigning high schools to offer more real-world education and hands-on training.

• Educators and students were well represented in the First Lady’s viewing box. Read more about them here.

• Read all the education excerpts from the speech.

• Learn more about the Obama administration’s major priorities in education.