At a speech in Thornton, Colo. on Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said it was time “to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education.”

Addressing a crowd of about 400 at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts, Mr. Obama touted his plan to provide scholarships to college students who promise to teach after graduation, saying that to remain competitive, America needs to hire better teachers. He also said he would create teacher residency programs, with the aim of training 30,000 new teachers a year.

Mr. Obama also praised existing federal programs such as TRIO, an outreach program for disadvantaged students, and Gear Up, a grant program targeted at poor high schools, which the Bush administration has previously proposed to terminate.

Details of Mr. Obama’s education platform can be seen here.