Quotable Quote

"Public education is the single most important public institution in a democratic society. It is our ultimate department of defense against poverty, ignorance, hatred and intolerance…To one degree or another, every generation of Americans has had to wrestle with the challenge of educating its youth. We know it takes qualified teachers, capable school leaders, supportive learning environments,adequate resources, a rigorous curriculum, high expectations linked to standards….But one vital ingredient has been missing in this formula for education excellence, and that ingredient is public responsibility. We as a nation cannot afford to stand by and allow our public schools tobecome wastelands of mediocrity."

"The ideal of public education has always been at the heart of [the American dream]. From the moment the earliest Americans stepped out from the shadows of tyranny and built the first free schools in the towns of New England and across the Southern plains, it was the driving force behind Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that ‘...talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition.'"

""If we are serious about ensuring that every child in America meets high standards, then we must develop a federal school finance policy equal to the task.""

"“Today, far too many Americans are holding off on college – or skipping it altogether – because they can’t afford it. As a nation, we simply cannot allow the cost of college to prevent qualified students from going to college.” "