We will continue to chase rainbows unless we recognize that they are rainbows and there is no pot of gold at the end of them

The greatest obstacle to those who hope to reform American education is complacency.

Accountability makes no sense when it undermines the larger goals of education.

Those who can’t teach, pass laws about how to evaluate teachers.

One of the persistent ironies of reform is the impossibility of predicting the full consequences of change.

What should we think of someone who never admits error, never entertains doubt but adheres unflinchingly to the same ideas all his life, regardless of new evidence? Doubt and skepticism are signs of rationality. When we are too certain of our opinions, we run the risk of ignoring any evidence that conflicts with our views. It is doubt that shows we are still thinking, still willing to reexamine hardened beliefs when confronted with new facts and new evidence.

Unless the schools provide our children with a vision of human possibility that enlightens and empowers them with knowledge and taste, they will simply play their role in someone else's marketing schemes. Unless they understand deeply the sources of our democracy, they will take it for granted and fail to exercise their rights and responsibilities.