The State of the Union address addresses the state of education
A short 2016 note on President Obama's final State of the Union address, and what became of the computer science policy that followed it.
Updated with current data and sources. Originally published January 14, 2016.
Inspiration, hope, happiness, opportunity. These are words that can easily describe how many Americans felt after watching the 2016 and final State of the Union Address by President Obama.
Everyone should put their politics aside and watch this historical moment in time. I believe this address will live in history as a pivotal moment in our nation's history. Of particular interest is near the end when President Obama addresses all American people directly and challenges all of us to change the system.
A challenge about the decisions we make today
It's similar to the challenge I posted back in February, 2014 then again in November, 2015 that highlights the fact that decisions we make today will impact the future. You can find the address at the Obama White House archives. I encourage everybody to watch it with your families, students and friends and find your own unique positive message. I know I did.
Where to start this week
The decision in front of many schools today is what to do about AI. The free AI Readiness Assessment takes eight questions and scores your school out of 24 across Policy, People, Curriculum, Guardrails, and Funding.
Related reading: A quote about the future and Why computer science matters in K-12 education.
Sources
- Public Papers of the Presidents, Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union (January 12, 2016) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
- The American Presidency Project, The President's Weekly Address (January 30, 2016) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
- The Hechinger Report, A proposal from the White House: $4 billion for computer science education for every K-12 student (2016) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
- American Institute of Physics, Trump orders Education Department to prioritize STEM and computer science activities (2017) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
- White House archives, Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Education (September 25, 2017) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
- Code.org and CSforALL, 2025 State of AI + CS Education, full report (December 2025) (opens in a new tab) (checked 2026-11-05)
See where your school stands on AI, in five minutes
Eight questions. A score out of 24 across Policy, People, Curriculum, Guardrails, and Funding, with the three fixes that move it most. The report is yours whether or not you ever call us.