Margaret Spellings Quotes

I urge the Department of Education not to settle for half-measures when it comes to students.

'No Child Left Behind' requires states and school districts to ensure that all students are learning and are reaching their highest potential. Special education students should not be left out of these accountability mechanisms.

One thing I'm hearing a lot is from teachers who have felt that there's something wrong with the extreme group learning, but felt like they couldn't say that out loud. And apparently the discussion is now opening up. I think change is going to be a long time coming.

We need to drive down requirements for the schools. In the 19th century, we increased the quality of the schools by higher education saying, 'You can't come in unless you have these skills, unless you've taken these courses.' We did that in Wisconsin when I was there, it helped to transform the secondary school system.

Indeed, while so much in education reform can divide activists into warring camps, expanding learning time unites reformers around a shared vision of bringing excellence and breadth to our nation's most impoverished and struggling schools.

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.

We are working essentially to build a leadership force of folks who will, during their first two years of teaching, actually put their kids on a different trajectory - not just survive as a new teacher, but actually help close the achievement gap for their kids.

In the education debate, people are so passionate about their ideas that we often end up expending more energy shouting at each other than we do pushing for the fundamentals to success in all schools.

For many years we have spent a great deal of effort and money on school reform. Yet where are we today?

I really think the single most important thing to remember about trying to fix the schools is that there is no such thing as an instant result.

The American Federation of Teachers has a long track record of working with administrators, parents, and communities to provide real help to struggling students and low-performing schools. We've learned that intensive interventions, proven programs, and adequate resources can transform students' lives and their schools.

We have to fix the education system.

If things don't work in education, we need change.

My priorities are making sure we reduce class size and close the achievement gap.

You can't just abandon accountability measures in schools... Educators want that because otherwise they can't identify achievement-gap issues for students.

President Obama and Secretary Duncan have made stronger teacher evaluation a key part of their education reform efforts. Under their signature plan, called 'Race to the Top,' states can win federal support for schools by improving teacher evaluations.

The key for all cities is whether you turn the public schools around.

I'm a little bit tired of people getting credit for improving education by doing the cheapest thing they can do, which is to call for the manipulation of test scores or to create new standards.

The single most important factor in determining [student] achievement is not the color of skin or where they come from. It is not who their parents are or how much money they have. It is who their teacher is.

Fixing our schools must begin with reforming the way we attract talent to teaching.

Improving our nation's education system has long been the cornerstone of my policy agenda.

It is possible to have a public education system that works.

Education is not about thinning the herd. Education is about helping every student succeed.

We know that there will never be a great Newark unless there is a great public school system for our city.

More than anything, we must do better for our children's education.