Lamar Alexander actually said...

"We did not want the U.S. Department of Education defining for States what their academic standards were to be, period."

"my hope is that by restoring responsibility to the States and classroom teachers, it inaugurates a new era of innovation and excellence in student achievement."

"I wanted to let States have the option to take most of their Federal dollars and turn them into scholarships for low-income children."

"opening statement"