Obama unveils education blueprint

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Presidential contender Barack Obama on Tuesday called for an $18 billion education plan that he said would fix mistakes his chief Democratic rivals made when they approved President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” effort.

The Illinois Democrat criticized Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards for not fully funding No Child Left Behind. While outlining his own education proposal to prepare students for college and to train teachers to lead in classrooms, Obama said the two rivals haven’t done enough to protect students.

Spokeswomen for Edwards and Clinton called the criticism unfair.

Obama’s plan would encourage universal pre-kindergarten programs – but not require them; expand teacher mentoring programs; and reward teachers with increased pay not tied to standardized test scores. Failing teachers would be moved from classrooms and replaced with ones who are competent, Obama said.

Obama’s plan would cost $18 billion. His campaign said he would pay for it in part by delaying NASA’s Constellation Program, which is developing the vehicle and rockets to go to the moon and later to Mars. He also proposes to help pay for the education plan by reducing costs by auctioning surplus federal property and cutting down erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office.

A Republican National Committee spokesman said Obama’s plan could actually hurt education.

“It is ironic that Barack Obama’s plan to help our children reach for the stars is financed in part by slashing a program that helps us learn about those very same stars,” Danny Diaz said.

Obama said families also have to be part of the solution.

“We can spend billion after billion on education in this country. We can develop a program for every problem imaginable and we can fund those programs with every last dime we have. But there is no program and no policy that can substitute for a parent who is involved in their child’s education from day one,” he said.