Jonathan Kozol Quotes

A system of general instruction, which shall reach every description of our citizens, from the richest to the poorest, as it was the earliest, so will it be the latest, of all the public concerns in which I shall permit myself to take an interest.

I would like to make it so that education was a right, and not a privilege.

… free labor insists on universal education

I am categorically opposed to any fees for education - and I have voted and campaigned against their introduction at every stage.

Every person in this country who has the desire and ability should be able to get all the education they need regardless of the income of their family. This is not a radical idea. In Germany, Scandinavia and many other countries, higher education is either free or very inexpensive. We must do the same.

The education here intended in not merely that of the children of the rich and noble, but of every rank and class of people, down to the lowest and the poorest. It is not too much to say that schools for the education of all should be placed at convenient distances, and maintained at the public expense.

I have no problems with private schools. I graduated from one and so did my mother. Private schools are useful and we often use public funds to pay for their infrastructures and other common needs.

Father had notions about manhood suffrage, public schools, the education and the elevation of the masses, and the gradual emancipation of the slaves, that did not suit the uncompromising views of people in places like Richmond.

The education of a nation instead of being confined to a few schools and universities for the instruction of the few, must become the national care and expense for the formation of the many.

The number one issue facing cities isn’t crimes or jobs anymore, it’s public education.

The problems of public schools will not be solved by cutting off the source of their funding, which is what vouchers are.

The state has a right to insist that its citizens shall be educated.

No sectarian tenets shall ever be taught in any school supported in whole or in part by the State, nations, or by the proceeds of any tax levied upon any community.

Public schooling is welfare for the middle class.

Public education is the great equalizer of America.

The people of the District of Columbia are not the subjects of the people of the States, but free American citizens.

It will not do to say we are too poor to educate the people--we are too poor not to educate them

The [teachers’] unions and the [school] districts have very different stakes in local control. The districts want the money and the programs that higher level governments can provide, but they also want autonomy in determining how resources are allocated. The unions are much less wedded to local autonomy. Indeed, much of their lobbying at the state level is to limit the autonomy of the districts.

Oh, when I was mayor of San Antonio, I pushed for expanding high-quality, full-day pre-K. We didn't have the resources to make it universal, but you could clearly see that that was what I wanted to do.

We all have a stake in ensuring that all students have the schools they deserve and that communities are leading this effort, not being left behind. To do that, we must challenge unchecked charter expansion and the forces driving it.

Education is largely run at the state level.

Empowering communities by leveraging federal and local investments helps improve the federal-local relationship and advance shared priorities.

I want to make sure we are spending wisely and using our resources effectively to address the issues facing San Francisco, while reaching residents throughout our entire City.

We're not proposing any shifting of funding from public schools to private schools.

The way I want to try and end private schools is by making our national education service so good you wouldn't want to waste your money.