U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama, greets children during a visit to an elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 7, 2008.
©Carlos Barria/Reuters

Barack Obama
Barack Obama says the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act hasn’t delivered on its promise to provide high-quality teachers in every classroom. It has also failed to properly support and pay teachers, he says. Obama’s reforms would include adequately funding the law, improving student assessments, and changing NCLB’s accountability system.

Obama says he would expand the size of, and increase the funding for, America’s early childhood education programs. Citing U.S. students’ poor performance in science and math, Obama vows to make science and math education a top priority nationwide.

For those students who wish to attend college, Obama would create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. Designed to make college more affordable, the tax credit would cut the cost of a college education for most Americans, especially those attending public institutions or community colleges.