Michelle Rhee Quotes

We used to have superb public schools. I guess we don't anymore, but, boy, the public schools were really something and I am a product of those in Indianapolis.

Public school system status quo is indefensible.

I am very proud of the quality of public education in Nebraska, but I believe we have an obligation to continually assess whether our system is meeting 21st Century education needs.

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

Education needs to be our state's top priority.

A great economy requires great public schools.

Our public education system does a great job. I don't think it's broken. We aren't interested in doing reform for reform's sake. I believe in public education; it did a great job for me. It deserves our support and encouragement.

When I was mayor of New York, my views changed. I began as mayor of New York City thinking that I could reform the New York City school system. After two or three years, four years, I became an advocate of choice, of scholarships, and vouchers, and parental choice, because I thought that was the only way to really change the school system.

We really shouldn't be running education like a supermarket where you compare prices.

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

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

We should have better schools.

We need better public education and more realistic education.

I say, too, with education, America needs to be putting a lot more focus on that and our schools have got to be really ramped up in terms of the funding that they are deserving. Teachers needed to be paid more.

If there's one thing that 'No Child Left Behind' has proven, it's that more academics don't make for smarter children - or even higher test scores. And yet we somehow refuse to accept this reality.

I believe public education is the new civil rights battle and I support charter schools.

Hillary Clinton wants to leave behind No Child Left Behind.

We need to increase education budgets.

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.

There is a growing acceptance and interest in publicly funded school choice as a catalyst for education reform in general and a way to empower parents to be education reformers.

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.

I'm clear that we do need to improve what's happening in our schools.

Education technology is very important because we have a massive challenge in public schools.

I think part of the problem is the education system doesn't work - it's not accountable.

America needs education reform on all levels to expand quality schools, build on past successes, and lower college debt.