- “Imagine a profession whose influence on individual lives is more significant than that of nearly any other occupation, whose role in society is universally acknowledged to be among the most critical to the future, and whose practitioners are often described as ‘heroic,’ ‘beloved,’ and ‘admired.’ Now imagine that this profession cannot recruit and retain the best people because it is seen by many as a dead end, neither financially remunerative nor socially and creatively fulfilling.” ~ Eric Klineberg, NYU & Caitlin Zaloom, NYU
- “As a classroom teacher for close to 40 years, I can tell you that the problem in public education is not the caliber of teachers. Are there bad teachers? Absolutely! But the problems with public education are not because of teachers. Hurting the success of public schools much more are the decisions made by district, state, and federal bureaucrats who have, at best, limited classroom experience. Pencil pushers, bean counters, and ivory tower philosophers shouldn’t be in charge of making critical classroom decisions on curriculum, discipline, and classroom management. You would not expect your barber to safely install your electrical wiring. Nor would a lawyer be a wise choice to maintain a jet airliner. The more complicated the task, the more important it is to trust it to someone who knows what they are doing. It’s just common sense. Yet, in America, we somehow seem to believe that politicians are actually qualified to make decisions about things with which they have little if any experience.” ~ Nicholas Wishek, educator
- “By all means, let us take a hard look at our national obsession with tests and scores and grades, and let us think more generously about what kinds of people we want our schools to develop. Part of such reconsideration would include a reclaiming of the full meaning of cognition–one that is robust and intellectual, intimately connected to character and social development, and directed toward the creation of a better world.” ~ Mike Rose, UCLA
