More on Obama's SOTU 'Sputnik moment'

He got it all wrong on China says Yong Zhao

Is it true that “China and India started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science?” No, China has actually started to reduce study time for their children, with less emphasis on math and science

When he says that “the quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations,” President Obama ignores the fact that American students performance on international tests have been pretty bad for a long time, and believe it or not, has got better in recent years.

As for Race To The Top, it is neither "meaningful" nor "flexible" says Yong Zhao.  Even the post-Sputnik curriculum was  broader in terms of areas of studies than conceived in Race to the Top and the blueprint for reauthorization of ESEA. It included funding for math, science, foreign languages, geography, technical education, etc. Moreover, it did not impose federal mandates on local schools or states.