In a State of the Union address that was heavily focused on the economy and creating jobs, President Obama listed four priorities to boosting economic growth over the long run: passing health care reform; focusing on education and reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), imposing stiffer regulations on Wall Street, and focusing on clean energy.

For education, Obama said, "We need to invest in the skills and education of our people. Now, this year, we've broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools. And the idea here is simple: Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform, reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to the inner city.

"In the twenty-first century, the best antipoverty program around is a world-class education. And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential. When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states."

In response to Obama's speech, Alliance President Bob Wise said, "By linking education to the economy, President Obama made clear that diplomas mean dollars. And with No Child Left Behind almost ten years old, the president made the right call to action—this year, pass ESEA without delay. A generation of students and skilled workers depend on it."

Bingo Results!!!

As in past years, the Alliance created Bingo cards to help viewers keep track of education policy proposals and other topics during the State of the Union address. The idea is simple: When President Obama mentioned a word or phrase on the Bingo card, players drew an X through the square in which that word or phrase is found.

Bingo Card #1 (diagonally) and Bingo Card #3 (horizontally) were winners. Download the summary document to check your cards or to see the context in which the terms were (or were not) mentioned:
http://www.all4ed.org/files/2010SOTUBingoResults.pdf.

A complete transcript of the State of the Union address is available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-state-union-address.