Quotes from Arne Duncan

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.

Most teachers still say they love teaching though they wouldn't mind a little more respect for their challenging work and a little less blame for America's educational shortcomings.

The cost of college should never discourage anyone from going after a valuable degree.

City Year is taking on some of the toughest work in education.

I think every student needs access to technology, and I think technology can be a hugely important vehicle to help level the playing field.

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.

States should not balance their budgets on the backs of students.

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

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

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.

Almost 24 million children - one in three - are likely growing up without their father involved in their lives.

Education is the civil rights issue of our generation.

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

When I ask teachers why they teach, they almost always say that it is because they want to make a difference in the lives of children.

To encourage more top-caliber students to choose teaching, teachers should be paid a lot more, with starting salaries more in the range of $60,000 and potential earnings of as much as $150,000.