Arne Duncan Quotes

As Governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards.

Real improvement in our schools is not simply a matter of spending more, it is a matter of expecting more.

Scholarships that allow students to get a good education are important, but first we want to measure the progress that the schools are teaching our students, we want to hold them accountable for the progress, we want to hold the schools accountable for teaching the young people in America.

The level of our educational development is high and serves as a strong basis for our future progress.

Competitive programs such as Race to the Top provide incentives for communities to develop new solutions for old problems. Because of Race to the Top, states have raised their standards and committed to fixing schools that have persistently failed students.

I can imagine no more important contribution to our country's future than a long-term commitment to improving urban K-12 public schools.

The time has come to end social promotion in our 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.

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

We must revamp K-12 education law to ensure Washington does not stand in the way of meaningful reforms.

Instead of just giving lip service to improving our schools, I will actually put the kids first and the teachers union behind in giving our kids better teachers, better options and better choices for a better future.

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.

This nation suffers from three deficits—a trade deficit, a budget deficit, and an education deficit. I submit, that the trade and budget deficits will not be resolved until we overcome the education deficit.

Schools should be held accountable for results.

Common Core is a big win for education.

We have to fix the education system.

Call me old-fashioned, but it's always been my firm belief that a teacher's job should be for each of his or her students to finish the year with a grade of 100%.

We believed we could prepare our kids for a more competitive world. And today, our younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record. Our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high. And more Americans finish college than ever before.

I do look upon the secretary of education's primary responsibility as the quality of education that - and improving the education that every child in American public schools receives.

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.

A top-quartile teacher will increase the performance of their class - based on test scores - by over 10 percent in a single year. ... That means that if the entire U.S., for two years, had top-quartile teachers, the entire difference between us and Asia would go away.

If we are to transition to a new economy and to lead it, we must start by transforming our schools.

Testing is not a substitute for curriculum and instruction. Good education cannot be achieved by a strategy of testing children, shaming educators, and closing schools.

The good teacher makes the poor student good and the good student superior.