** “I reject the idea that [accountability-based testing] forces people to cheat.” ~ Arne Duncan, U.S. Education Secretary
** “In the years ahead, the burden will be on unions to develop policies rooted in information-era schools where student learning is the focus. They can play a vital role in building the information-age schools we need for tomorrow and in supporting the teachers those schools will require, or they will be viewed as obstructionist and ultimately become irrelevant. Some union leaders have already recognized the need for this shift, even as they perform a complicated balancing act, with one foot in the industrial era and one in the information era.” ~ Arthur Levine
** “The Common Core Standards will either transform the very DNA of teaching and learning, or they will end up in the dustbin of abandoned reforms. Unfortunately, many policymakers are proceeding recklessly, in ways that make the second outcome more likely.” Randi Weingarten, AFT president
** “Current evaluation efforts will be for naught unless teachers feel an ownership stake in the effort to define expectations, provide feedback, and continuously improve instruction.” ~ Ross Weinter