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The Great Presidential Mashup The Democrats on education.

Updated Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, at 10:24 AM ET

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And we have to have also—we have to make sure that we deal with this achievement gap. One out of two minorities in this country, one out of two African-American, Latino kids don't make it through high school. They drop out. That has to be combatted with at-risk programs, with programs that deal with more parental involvement. We have to start early, universal preschool. We did this in New Mexico. We did this. Kids under 4—full-day kindergarten.

We have to have healthy breakfast for every child. And finally, we have to find a way to give every American access to a college education.

CNN/YouTube Debate, July 23, 2007

I would scrap it [No Child Left Behind]. It doesn't work.

It is the law. It is not just an unfunded mandate, but the one-size-fits-all doesn't work.

It doesn't emphasize teacher training. It doesn't emphasize the disabled kids.

It doesn't—English-learning kids don't get help.

The worst thing it does is it takes districts and schools that are not doing well, takes their funds away, penalizes them. If a school is not doing well, we help that school.

The last thing we need to do, relating to teachers, is the key to a good education in this country is a strong teacher. I would have a minimum wage for all our teachers, $40,000 per year.

And I would emphasize science and math.

And I would also bring, to make sure our kids that are not scoring well in science and math, 29^th in the world, to unlock those minds in science and math, I would have a major federal program of art in the schools ... music, dancing, sculpture, and the arts.