It is time to make a historic commitment to education...

a real commitment that will require new resources and new reforms.

We can start by investing 10 billion dollars

to guarantee access to quality, affordable,

early-childhood education for every child in America.

Every dollar, every dollar we spend on these programs

puts our children on a path to success

while saving as much as 10 dollars

in reduced health care costs,

and crime and welfare later on.

That’s what will close the achievement gap,

giving every child a good start.

Part of the plan also calls for fixing

the broken promises of No Child Left Behind.

I believe that the goals of this law were the right ones.

We all want high standards,

we all want a world-class education,

we all want highly qualified teachers in the classroom.

Making the promise to educate every child with an excellent teacher is right.

Closing the achievement gap that exists in too many cities and rural areas is right.

More accountability is right, higher standards are right.

I’ll tell you what’s wrong with No Child Left Behind…

Forcing our teachers, our principals, and our schools

to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong.

And don’t tell us that the only way to teach a child is to spend

most of the year preparing him to fill in

a few bubbles on a standardized test.

Lets help our teachers and our principals develop a curriculum

and assessments that teach our children

to become not just good test takers…

we need assessments that can prove achievement

by including research and scientific investigation,

and problem solving that our children will need to compete

in the 21st century knowledge economy.

But see, I don’t just want to hold our teachers accountable.

I want to hold our government accountable.

I want you to hold me accountable.

Accountability in Washington starts by making sure

that every tax dollar spent by the department of education

is being spent wisely.

When I am president, programs that work will get more money.

Programs that don’t work, or just create more bureaucracy,

and paperwork, and administrative gridlock

will get less money.

When I am president we’ll fight

to make sure we are once again first in the world

when it comes to high school graduation rates.

We are going to push our children

to study harder and aim higher.

to study harder and aim higher.

I’ve worked with Republican Senator Jim DeMint on a bill

that would challenge high school students to take college-level courses,

and make sure low-income neighborhoods and rural communities

have access to those courses.

And I’ll make it the law of the land when I’m president.

And we are also going to set a goal

of increasing the number of high students taking college-level or AP courses

by 50% in the coming years

because I believe that when we challenge our kids to succeed

they will succeed.

Second thing we need to do is to make sure

that we are preparing our kids for the 21st century economy

by bringing our school system into the 21st century.

Part of what that means is fostering the kinds of schools

that will help prepare our children.

Which is why I’m calling for the creation of an innovative schools fund…

an innovative schools fund…this fund will invest

in schools like Austin Polytechnic Institute,

which is located in a part of Chicago that’s been hard hit

by the decline in manufacturing in the past few decades.

And thanks to a partnership with a number of companies

a curriculum that prepares students

for a career in engineering,

and a requirement that students graduate with at least two industry certifications.

Austin polytechnic is bringing hope back to the community.

Giving our parents real choices

about where to send their kids to school

also means showing the same kind of leadership

at the national level that I did in Illinois

when I passed a law to double the number of public charter schools in Chicago.

And that’s why as president I’ll double the funding

for responsible charter schools.

We also have to bring our schools into the 21st century.

Because while technology has transformed

just about every aspect of our lives,

from the way we travel,

to the way we communicate,

to the way we look after our health,

one the places were we fail to cease its full potential is in the classroom.

We’ll finally put a college degree within reach

for anyone who wants one by providing a $4,000 tax credit

to any middle class student who’s willing to serve

their community or their country.

We have to make sure

that every young person

can afford to go to a public college or a university

if they have the will, if they have the grades.