DeWayne Wickham asks about the connection between education and poverty. To what does he attribute higher dropout rate for black teenagers?

Biden: The day before a black child steps into school for the first time, half the achievement gap already exists. They already start behind. The moment they walk into that school, they’re behind, and the gap widens… Invest in starting kids in preschool at age four.

Richardson: This is the first time we’ve talked about in education. Everybody asks how you’re going to pay for it. Nobody asks how we’re going to pay for the war. [applause]

Edwards: The cause of poverty is the defining mission of my life. [Eye roll]

Obama: Put more money into afterschool programs. You can’t do a program called Leave No Child Behind and then leave all the money behind. We need to have a mindset that says every child can learn if they’re given the resources and the opportunities.

Kucinich: Dr. King talked about the link between war and fear and poverty, as opposed to the link between peace and security and prosperity. Talks of the need to “switch the paradigm.”

Gravel says: We can cut more than 15 percent from the defense budget. We’ve heard these nostrums before. Why doesn’t it change? The Democratic party hasn’t done appreciably better. (We see Al Sharpton nodding.) Everyone on this stage is guilty, and we should recognize that. [Surprising amount of applause.]

Dodd: I admire that all my colleagues care about this issue. We have to decide who the best candidate is. For twenty-six years, I’ve dedicated myself to this issue.

Hillary: It takes a village to raise a child, and the American village has failed our children.