We all have a role to play - the President, Congress, parents, students and schools - in making college affordable and keeping the middle class dream alive.

I think the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina.

Even in a time of fiscal austerity, education is more than just an expense.

Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.

Wherever you find something extraordinary, you’ll find the fingerprints of a great teacher.

In America, your zip code or your socioeconomic status should never determine the quality of your education.

We've seen more reform in the last year than we've seen in decades, and we haven't spent a dime yet. It's staggering how the Recovery Act is driving change.

Teachers support evaluations based on multiple measures: student growth, classroom observation and feedback from peers and parents.

To be clear, we the Department of Education want curriculum to be driven by the local level. We are by law prohibited from directing curriculum. We don't have a curriculum department.

The arts significantly boost student achievement, reduce discipline problems, and increase the odds students will go on to graduate from college.

Education is the civil rights issue of our generation.

I am not a teacher I am a path finder.

My parents lie somewhere beneath the snow, buried with my mortal life.

Always go to the bathroom before you ‘go’ to the bathroom.

I stayed sober for this?

I finally like myself, at last I like myself.

Being beautiful can be a curse, especially if you want to be an artist and create.

The ideas can come from anywhere; the energy just comes from loving what I do.

Usually writer's block arises when something is wrong internally with the story.

Making music is fantastic.

The devil knew what he did when he made men politic; he crossed himself by it.