The biggest barrier we've seen to student progress is this: School policies and practices often prevent good teachers from doing great work and even dissuade some talented Americans from entering the profession. This needs to change.

I learned to embrace risk, as long as it was well thought out and, in a worst-case scenario, I'd still land on my feet.

Research – and using what you learn from it to analyze every situation – is what separates being unreasonable from being irrational.

I don't think the market can keep going up. In the U.S., we see real estate not going up.. houses are selling at lower prices. You can't have anything going up 10 percent to 20 percent to 30 percent indefinitely.

I never play golf because it takes too long, and the business connections it produces can be made just as easily over an early breakfast.

I'm strong-willed. Architects are strong-willed. You get the best results with a strong client and a strong architect working together.

Frankly, I'm not sure how far I would get if I attended public school today. It's not just that public schools aren't producing the results we want - it's that we're not giving them what they need to help students achieve at high levels. K-12 education in the United States is deeply antiquated.