Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes An early version of this article appears as “Postscript: Education America—’Welcome to My Nightmare’” in Peters (2012 Peters , M. A. ( 2012 ). Obama, Education and the End of the American Dream . Rotterdam : Sense Publishers . [Google Scholar]). Youth unemployment rates in 2011 (approximately): Spain, 47%; Eurozone, 21%; United States, 17%; and Germany, 9%. The United States defines the poverty line as income of $22,314 a year for a family of four and $11,139 for an individual (U.S. Census Bureau 2011 Line , M. ( 2011 ). Providence Plans to Pink Slip All Teachers . http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/02/24/providence-plans-to-pink-slip-all-teachers/#ixzz1evnTU63G [Google Scholar]). The poverty rate for children under age 18 increased to 22% in 2010; the poverty rate for adults ages 18 to 64 rose to 13.7%; for people 65 and older, the poverty rate was barely changed at 9%. Non-Hispanic whites had the lowest poverty rate, 9.9% (Asians, 12.1%; Hispanic 26.6%), and blacks had the highest rate at 27.4%. About 14% of men were below the poverty line, compared to 16.2% of women. Families headed by a married couple had only a 6.2% poverty rate, whereas families with a single mother had a 31.6% rate, and families with a single father had a 15.8% rate. (Censky 2011 Censky , A. ( 2011 ). Poverty Rates Rise in America . http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/poverty_rate_income/index.htm [Google Scholar]; U.S. Census Bureau 2011 Line , M. ( 2011 ). Providence Plans to Pink Slip All Teachers . http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/02/24/providence-plans-to-pink-slip-all-teachers/#ixzz1evnTU63G [Google Scholar]). On October 15, tens of thousands of demonstrators staged rallies in 900 cities around the world, including Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, São Paulo, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Hamburg, and Leipzig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street). Early Childhood: The Zero to Five Plan funds and helps states move toward voluntary, universal preschool education; expands Early Head Start and Head Start; provides affordable, and high-quality child care. K12: To reform No Child Left Behind; support high-quality schools and close low-performing charter schools; make math and science education a national priority; expand high-quality afterschool opportunities (21st century learning programs); support college outreach programs (e.g., GEAR UP, TRIO, and Upward Bound); support college credit initiatives; support English Language Learners; recruit, prepare, retain, and reward teachers. Higher education: To create the American Opportunity Tax Credit—universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service; simplify the application process for financial aid. (See http://change.gov/agenda/education_agenda/.)