"Mr. Chairman, the best stimulus package is a diploma. Our children and their education deserve to be our highest priority."
"In this great democracy, the opportunity to succeed must not be an accident of birth."
"I applaud the President when he said a long-term, sustainable economic recovery is only possible if we strengthen our education system and invest in our children."
"We cannot tolerate these high dropout rates. We have to do something. Otherwise we will continue on the trajectory that we are on now, where you have these dropout factories and it is an insult to sug..."
"By supporting the adult education programs in conjunction with improving our high schools, I think we'll find that our education system has far more successes than we give it credit for."
"You can do that by just graduating from high school. Study. Think that is what you are throwing away."
"I have seen first-hand federal programs work best when decision-making authority is left in local officials' hands."
"Just graduate from college."
"As I said the other day, we have a No Child Left Behind, we should have a No Adult Left Behind also."
"You know how you can earn a million dollars in the next 4 years? Graduate from college. That is all you have to do."
"I would encourage the Committee to look at the role that the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education program plays in reducing the drop out rate."