The 2008 Presidential candidates want to make sure that every student in each of the nation's more than 94,000 public schools has access to an excellent education. But they have different strategies for strengthening the country's educational system. One of the main issues is the hotly debated No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law enacted by George W. Bush in 2002. The law calls for a focus on reading and math and requires annual standardized testing of students in grades 3 through 8 and during high school. Here's where the presidential candidates stand on education:

John McCain believes that schools should be held responsible for educating every student and that each school should have the resources to deliver on that responsibility. He approves of the NCLB Act, and believes that it has highlighted what is really happening in schools all over the country. McCain would like to push for:

• Schools to be innovative, flexible and most of all student-centered, rather than being a safe haven for uninspired and unaccountable teachers and students.
• Parents should be allowed to choose which school to send their children to. And parents should be placed at the center of the education process.
• There should be a better defined home schooling format for parents who prefer that option.
• Reward good teachers and good schools while offering bad teachers another career choice, and put poorly performing schools out of business.

Barack Obama believes in early childhood education. While working in the Illinois State Senate, he helped create the Early Learning Council, which made Illinois one of the first states to commit to an early learning program that helps children from the day they are born. The program offers early childhood education for new families and at risk preschoolers. Obama is also proposing the following:

• A "Zero to Five Plan" which will provide support for young children and parents and put emphasis on early care and education for infants. Obama hopes that this program will lead to a universal preschool program in the United States.
• Reform NCLB. He believes poorly performing schools should be supported rather than punished. He wants math and science to be national priorities.
• Reduce the nation's high school dropout rate by empowering parents to get more involved in their child's education.
• Recruit well-qualified teachers and rewarding those who have made progress with students.