This election season, "Forward" was the watch-word of President Barack Obama's campaign. During the election battle, it stood for moving ahead with four more years of his leadership, and for the future-focused thinking the president espoused as a candidate. But what does "forward" mean for President Obama's second term in office as far as education is concerned? What changes and challenges can we expect in 2013 and beyond? During Obama's first term, his educational agenda was marked by serious plans to improve the nation's schools through signature reforms. Ambitious competitive programs were introduced, and many new dollars went to education through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation (i3), and School Improvement Grants. All these measures were aimed at getting students to be college- and career-ready, to create great teachers and leaders, and to turn around low-performing schools. There has also been a continuing emphasis on the important role of early childhood education and STEM. In this article, the author talks about education in Obama's second term and presents some specific challenges that will need to be addressed.