Computers aren’t magic; teachers are.

Common education standards are essential for producing the educated work force America needs to remain globally competitive. This voluntary state lead effort will help ensure that all students can receive the college and career ready, world class education they deserve, no matter where they live. I applaud the states efforts that got us here today and the work of NGA, CCSSO and Achieve in supporting this important achievement.

I don`t think this has been fully understood by the United States... If you look at India, China and Russia, they all have strong education heritages. Even if you discount 90 percent of the people there as uneducated farmers, you still end up with about 300 million people who are educated. That`s bigger than the U.S. work force.

It's like athletes: To be a great company you need great competitors...It's what keeps you alive and keeps you honest.

Computers aren’t magic; teachers are.

To be successful one must be willing to learn and apply new concepts and not be afraid of change.

Bernard Harris is a great example of the American success story. In Dream Walker he describes how he is trying to pass on his experience and success to the next generation -- we can all learn from his real life story.