Political Quotes

“50 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson rushed to the old elementary school he had once attended and with him he had a piece of major legislation. At a picnic table on the lawn of the school, President Johnson signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--or ESEA. He said that with this law, he envisioned ``full educational opportunity as our first national goal.'' Our Nation has always held the ideal of education for all, but in 1965 ESEA put that idea into action. It aimed to close the education gaps between rich and poor, Black and White, kids from rural areas and kids from big cities. In doing so, ESEA took a step forward for civil rights. Today we have a chance to reauthorize that civil rights law to continue what President Johnson called our ``first national goal.'' We have a chance to finally move away from the No Child Left Behind Act, and we have a chance to send the Every Student Succeeds Act to the President's desk to help ensure all kids have access to a quality education regardless of where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make. I appreciate the tireless work of Chairman John Kline and Ranking Member Bobby Scott in the House and their staffs. I especially want to thank my partner here in the Senate, the chairman of the HELP Committee and senior Senator from Tennessee, Senator Lamar Alexander.…”