To begin with, teachers do not prefer to have a set salary based standardized test. At a political convention, Senator Barrack Obama stated, “[teachers} feel betrayed and frustrated by No Child Left Behind. We shouldn’t reauthorize it without changing it fundamentally…”2 Teachers are forced to teach a narrower range of subjects that they know the children will be tested on to increase their pay rather helping students discover a fuller understanding of the material that can be transferred to another problem or example in the future. Also, only thirty percent of Americans think that a teacher’s salary should be based on testing3. However the rest of the United States feels as if it is time for a change. Today’s presidential candidates can commence this change. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton thinks that pay should be based on school wide performance, while Senator Obama thinks pay should be based on individual teacher performance. Former Senator McCain said, “Choice and competition is the key to success in education in America that means…rewarding good teachers and finding bad teachers another lone of work.”4 He is in favor for merit pay of individual teachers, like Senator Obama. The No Child Left Behind act has left teachers unable to provided students with knowledge for the future but rather knowledge for the next test and it should be the other way around.

Furthermore, schools also are evaluated by test scores and academic achievement. Under the proven education method pillar of the act, federal funding is given to those schools that have successful programs to increase achievement in students.5 Senator Clinton states, “This law is not working for our teachers, out parents, and most importantly our, kids.”6 Even though this program is good for schools that are progressing, those which are falling behind are not given the proper support needed to try and excel. They are not given the funding they need to improve there school, leaving many children behind in their education

To continue, the No child Left Behind Act does not include a plan for college education. It stops at high school. However, three presidential candidates do have plans that will help students and tuition. Senator McCain has not released the details of this plan yet but it is known that it will help displaced workers get new jobs. Senator Clinton state that, “…Student loan debt alone can put people in economic handcuffs…”7 She has a plan that would create a $3,500 tax credit for tuition costs.8 Senator Obama would create a $500 lager tax credit for tuition saying, “Putting a college education within reach of every American is the best investment we can make…”9

In the next presidential term a new program for education will be established. Teachers’ pay and school funding will not be determined by standardized testing, which causes teachers to teach the basics and causes even more schools to fall behind. It will also create college as an option for everyone in America, offering a higher education to everyone.