I want to be a children’s hero… Children need heroes because heroes give hope; without hope they have no future.

Why is it that when we had rotary phones, when we were having folks being crippled by polio, that we were teaching the same way then that we're doing right now?

When the safety of America is threatened, we will spend any amount of money. The real safety of our nation is preparing this next generation so that they can take our place [in] thinking and technology and democracy.

There is an educational cliff we are walking over right this very second.

One of the things that sells music is when the artist is looked at as someone who's come up from the streets. Not just any streets, but the toughest, meanest streets of the urban ghetto. And that's called 'street credibility'.

An extended school day gives administrators the ability to ensure children get a well-rounded education.

You have to be prepared to think outside the box...Stand back and think about what we could do creativity. We've got to do that to push the field forward.