Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has a new televsion ad up in New Hampshire that focuses on education, sprinkled with some parenting advice. (Over at the Democrats for Education Reform blog, Joe Williams writes that Obama, a Democratic presidential contender, is the first candidate in the race to hit television airwaves with an education-focused ad.)

The ad starts by getting personal, as Obama talks about his childhood—that his parents weren’t rich, his Dad left when he was very young, but that he still managed to get a good education. He briefly touts his plan for expanding early childhood education and recruiting a “new generation” of teachers.

But then he makes a worthy point: that neither the president, nor the government, can completely fix the country’s education ills. He says he needs parents, too. And where can parents start? By turning off the television.