The ladder was there, from the gutter to the university, and for those stalwart enough to ascend it, the schools were a boon and a path out of poverty.

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.

Testing is not a substitute for curriculum and instruction. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools.

Congress and state legislatures should not tell teachers how to teach, any more than they should tell surgeons how to perform operations.

What is happening to teachers now across this nation is a disgrace. The attacks on them are a blot on our nation. Teachers and students are not different interest groups. Anyone who demeans teachers demeans education and hurts children.

You can't lead your troops if your troops do not trust you.