The arts significantly boost student achievement, reduce discipline problems, and increase the odds students will go on to graduate from college.

I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina.

If children are hungry, they need to be fed. It's hard to learn if your stomach is growling. We need to take that on. If students can't see the blackboard, need eyeglasses, we need to do that. If students need a social worker or counselor to work through the challenges they're facing at home in the community, we need to do that.

Wherever you find something extraordinary, you’ll find the fingerprints of a great teacher.

When schools truly become centers of the community, where you have extraordinary teachers, the best teachers, the best principals, great nonprofit partners coming in during the non-school hours to support and do enrichment activities, social services, then those students will beat the odds, will beat poverty, will beat violence in the community, will beat sometimes dysfunctional families, and be productive citizens long term. They will go to college.

Education is the civil rights issue of our generation.

States should not balance their budgets on the backs of students.