President Talks Education in his Prime Time Press Conference

In his first prime time press conference, President Obama addressed the American people stressing the need for the stimulus plan that is being formulated by Congress and the Administration. In the press conference, the President discussed several issues including unemployment, the economy, military casualties, and education. He addressed several aspects of education.

School construction has become a major issue for the federal government with the President and many Democrats wanting the federal government to take on a more active role. President Obama spoke to this by giving an example of a school being used in South Carolina built in the 1850s. For those people against the federal government being involved in school construction, he said, "why wouldn't we want to build state-of-the-art schools with science labs that are teaching our kids the skills they need for the 21st century, that will enhance our economy and, by the way, right now will create jobs?"

It is anticipated that higher education will benefit from the final stimulus bill and President Obama has emphasized the importance of the affordability of college. He stated that "we’ll also provide a $2,500 tax credit to folks who are struggling to pay the costs of their college tuition and $1,000 worth of badly needed tax relief to working and middle class families." So the final stimulus package might not just focus on giving money directly to colleges and universities but also assisting people afford tuition through tax credits.

Finally, the President discussed policies that might foreshadow things to come for K-12 federal education policy. These policies included more pay for teachers, charter schools, innovation, and higher standards. He even went out of his way to mention a second time the need for more money for advanced science labs.

The stimulus bill is obviously the main priority for President Obama right now, but throughout his early presidency he has spoken of his desire to address education. With the press conference last night and especially with him mentioning science labs, STEM and all education should become amongst his highest priorities once the stimulus package has passed.