President Barack Obama is hitting the campaign trail this week in an effort to promote his education agenda.

This morning the White House released the President's $3.73-trillion budget, which includes cuts to several departments - except education, which will actually see an increase of 38.5 percent. The only department to fair better is transportation.

The President says his budget reflects a need to start reducing deficits - but not at the expense of programs he says deserve more money.

President Obama made his comments at Parkville Middle & Technology Center - a Baltimore school that focuses on technology, science, engineering and math (STEM). The administration's budget calls for educating 100-thousand STEM teachers over the next decade "in order to thrive in the 21st century economy."

In a conference call with reporters last Friday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the budget reflects the administration's desire to invest in the future.

"Parents don't want their children's future to be impacted," Duncan said. "To win the future we have to out-educate our competitors. Unfortunately the brutal fact is today there are many developing countries that are out-educating us."

Today's budget announcement maintains the administration's focus on international comparisons. It is a subject I have written on previously. Critics call such comparisons "apples-to-automobile" analogies that ultimately could have detrimental effects student learning.

As part of his proposed budget, the President is asking for revisions to the Department of Education's "Race to the Top" program. The administration wants to change the way the program is administered by supporting individual districts rather than states. To date, Washington has failed to win any Race to the Top monies.

House Republican leaders have already said they want to cut spending on education.

Later this week the President will travel to Hillsboro, Oregon.