In the election battle between former Gov. Mitt Romney and President Obama, the writer looks at Obama's record and concludes he's earned a second shot, especially considering how different his policies are from his competitor's. Amid a climate of scarce resources and even scarcer political goodwill, President Obama has taken steps to provide all children educational opportunities. His executive and legislative actions have helped schools and teachers weather the recession; promoted reforms centered on rigorous standards and assessments, teacher quality, and improvement of low-performing schools; and allowed states to develop alternatives to NCLB accountability.