Senator Barack Obama feels strongly about education. His plan puts children first by investing in early childhood education and after school programs, making sure our schools are adequately funded and led by high-quality teachers, and reforming No Child Left Behind. Senator Obama also gives tax incentives to middle class college students who agree to serve their country or their communities. The Obama-Biden plan for education includes many specific proposals that fall into three main areas:

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.

In this video, Senator Barack Obama talks about his plan for education, including reforming No Child Left Behind, supporting teachers and schools, giving tax incentives to college students, and demanding more accountability at all levels:


You can read more about this plan in our section on education. You can also view a side-by-side comparison showing how the candidates stand on the issue of education or give us your feedback on education policy.