Political Quotes

“Bart Giamatti was a well-rounded man. He was the president of the Yale University and also Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He once called education the ``heart of a civil society.'' But he also said the heart of education is the act of teaching. The commitment to educate the children of this Nation is our greatest investment in our collective future. It is the key to keeping the American dream alive and crucial to staying competitive in a global economy. Teachers are the stewards of that investment. But the terrible recession that has rocked our national economy has threatened their ability to give our children the education they deserve. Since 2008, State and local budget cuts have cost this country 300,000 education jobs. Nearly 200,000 of those jobs were lost in the last year alone. Schools are feeling the pinch of a larger class size, especially at the elementary and middle school levels. The number of children in an elementary school classroom has a direct correlation to student achievement and even college graduation rates. Districts also shortened schooldays, school years, and eliminated summer school programs that help underprivileged children to compete in the world. They have cut art and music classes and afterschool activities that keep students engaged and prevent everything from high school dropouts, delinquency, to even teen pregnancy. While all of these cuts have been difficult, things could be much worse.…”