Since the turn of the 20th century, the United States has been considered a world power, way ahead of its time in relation to most other countries. This is due to the compatibility between the political system of democracy and the American people; but this democracy has served as a hindrance as well as an aid, creating nearly un-chartable fluctuations in America's society, economy, and other internationally-present sectors. This is the reason a president is a necessity to the country, to lead the nation in making decisions that they themselves can not agree on. "A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to" (Fortuna).
    America's educational ineptness, as many Asian countries such as China and India surpass America in sciences and technology because of the United State's faulty ineffective system, has often been solved with a demand for higher funding for education. However, statistics show that funding does not actually help improve the educational system. Instead "leading researchers in the area [of whether expenditures or lack thereof affect academic performance,] acknowledge that any effect of per-pupil expenditures on academic outcomes depends on how the money is spent, not on how much money is spent" (Lips). In fact the amount spent on K-12 education is at an all time high (Lips). To place a numeric value on this amount, "Federal spending on education has increased by $15 billion... since 2001" (The White House).
    Instead of putting money into creating new programs to help the educational system, funds should be put in improving current systems (Lips). The current programs enacted for the educational system are not useless, but ineffective. They are underestimated and underfunded ot the extent that its original purpose is somewhat unachievable by its means. In fact "the nation's second-largest school system didn't volunteer much data beyond what the state required", an act that showed the blase approach many school systems undertook. The precedence of education is foreign to them (Blume).
    An even greater emphasis should be put on programs that help childrens' educations when they are younger. This allows children to grow grasped onto the sense of urgency to educate oneself. Instead of attending school only because it is required of them, they will attend school because they know it is important. Not only is a child's education an academic opportunity, but "schools have to be havens of order and learning... institutions that build character.... that teach children basic American values: honesty, hard work, self-reliance and respect for others" (Riley). An uneducated person is a person who lacks any sort of insight in the world, a sense of connection to their surroundings (Goel). With education put in its proper priority, dropout rates should decline significantly, far below the 30% dropout rate  of today (Vukich, Vandergriff).
    Obama's plan for education addresses the importance of encouraging the family of the child to support their child's education early and resolutely. He plans to quadruple funding for the EarlyHead Start program, which helps disadvantaged migrant families provide for their infant; and fund efficient child care (Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need).
    The difference between the educational systems of other countries and the educational system of America also revolves around its distinct political structure. "What makes education in a democracy distinct is a commitment to a particularly precious and fragile ideal, and that is a belief that the fullest development of all is the necessary condition for the full development of each; conversely, the fullest development of each is necessary for the full development of all" (Ayers). Education of the public is impossible without education of the individual; and vice versa, education of the individual is impossible without education of the public.