Barack Obama will reform No Child Left Behind:
Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year
preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests and he will improve the
assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college.

Invest in early childhood education:
The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young
children and their parents. And they will help states move toward voluntary, universal
pre-school.

Make college affordable to all Americans:
Obama and Biden will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000 in
exchange for community service. It will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the
average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free
for most students.

A World class education
The Problem
No Child Left Behind Left the Money Behind: The goal of the law was the right one, but
unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Education Department and
shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut
its support. As a result, the law has failed to provide high-quality teachers in every
classroom and failed to adequately support and pay those teachers.

Teacher Retention is a Problem: Thirty percent of new teachers leave within their first
five years in the profession. 

Soaring College Costs: College costs have grown nearly 40 percent in the past five years.
The average graduate leaves college with over $19,000 in debt. And between 2001 and 2010,
2 million academically qualified students will not go to college because they cannot
afford it. Finally, our complicated maze of tax credits and applications leaves too many
students unaware of financial aid available to them.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
Early Childhood Education 
Zero to Five Plan: The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide
critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood
education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care and education for
infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama and
Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts
and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school. 
Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple Early Head Start,
increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both. 
Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden will also provide affordable and
high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families. 
K-12
Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding
the law. Obama and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year
preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the
assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the
workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama and
Biden will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools
that need improvement, rather than punishing them. 
Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools: Barack Obama and
Joe Biden will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the
creation of more successful charter schools. An Obama-Biden administration will provide
this expanded charter school funding only to states that improve accountability for
charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear
process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools. An Obama-Biden
administration will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful
charter schools to expand to serve more students. 
Make Math and Science Education a National Priority: Obama and Biden will recruit math
and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help
these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that
all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels. 
Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing
his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention
strategies in middle school - strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams,
parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended
learning time. 
Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden will double funding for
the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers
program, to serve one million more children. 
Support College Outreach Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach programs like GEAR
UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young people from low-income families to
consider and prepare for college. 
Support College Credit Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will create a national
"Make College A Reality" initiative that has a bold goal to increase students taking AP
or college-level classes nationwide 50 percent by 2016, and will build on Obama's
bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Senate to provide grants for students seeking college
level credit at community colleges if their school does not provide those resources. 
Support English Language Learners: Obama and Biden support transitional bilingual
education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools
accountable for making sure these students complete school. 
Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers
Recruit Teachers: Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will
cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education, including
high-quality alternative programs for mid-career recruits in exchange for teaching for at
least four years in a high-need field or location. 
Prepare Teachers: Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited.
Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance assessment so we can be
sure that every new educator is trained and ready to walk into the classroom and start
teaching effectively. Obama and Biden will also create Teacher Residency Programs that
will supply 30,000 exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools. 
Retain Teachers: To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring
programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide
incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share
best practices. 
Reward Teachers: Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher
pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to
design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers
with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like
rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that
work can be valued and rewarded as well. 
Higher Education 
Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable
for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and
fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is
completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the
average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free
for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of
community service. 
Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden will streamline the
financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and
enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their
tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application. 
Barack Obama's Record
Record of Advocacy: Obama has been a leader on educational issues throughout his career.
In the Illinois State Senate, Obama was a leader on early childhood education, helping
create the state's Early Learning Council. In the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leader in
working to make college more affordable. His very first bill sought to increase the
maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions committee, Obama helped pass legislation to achieve that goal in the recent
improvements to the Higher Education Act. Obama has also introduced legislation to create
Teacher Residency Programs and to increase federal support for summer learning
opportunities.