To put it simply, school readiness means creating in this country a public love of children.

To push for excellence today without continuing to push for access for less privileged students is to undermine the crucial but incomplete gains that have been made. Equity and excellence cannot be divided.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every home had good books instead of knick-knacks and plastic flowers on the bookshelves? And wouldn't it be great if every child heard good speech and received thoughtful answers to their questions instead of 'be quiet' or 'go to bed'?

Literature is an inquiry into the deepest yearnings of the human spirit.

An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.

Book CoverTo have people who are well informed but not constrained by conscience is conceivably, the most dangerous outcome of education possible. Indeed it could be argued that ignorance is better than unguided intelligence, for the most dangerous people are those who have knowledge without a moral framework.

A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.