"Kids are being left behind in school and aren't getting the education they need," says (Ten-year-old Lily Thorpe). "I want kids to go to school and learn how to read...

(Ten-year-old Lily Thorpe) - who, according to her mother Maria Thorpe, reads two hours a day - started her campaign in February after getting fed up with lackluster resources at her school. As an avid reader, she's pained by the fact that many of her fellow students can't read at the appropriate level. "We only have one part-time tutor at my school and the encyclopedias are almost 14 years old," she says. "How are kids going to learn about 9/11 if they have encyclopedias from 1990?"

Ms. Thorpe, Lily's mom, says Lily came home one day announcing she wanted to do something about it.

"I've always encouraged my children to take action," says Thorpe.

So Lily called the Colorado secretary of state to see if she was old enough to register a political organization. After getting a thumbs-up, she filled out an application (with the help of her mom and a family friend) and created Kids Campaign. Next, she set up a website and mailed questionnaires to politicians asking them about their plans for kids...."I'm not Republican or Democrat," Lily clarifies firmly. "I'm bipartisan. That means I'm not on either side."

One of her main concerns: the No Child Left Behind federal education law.

"It is supposed to make sure all get an equal education but it can be improved a lot," she says. "When President Bush passed the law, he didn't put any funding in schools for it. I'm trying to raise awareness about that." (Christian Science Monitor)