You have got to attract the brightest and the best, but the brightest and best won't stay unless they see real career options.

By creating useful job descriptions and making clear what qualifications should be expected, the Department aims to help improve schools' ability to recruit the right people.

I am confident that the vast majority of teachers will work with us towards achieving that goal.

I do recognise that, where recruitment difficulties persist, teachers can be put under great pressure.

No two children learn in the same way. While we might agree that every American eight-year-old should be able to read and multiply, beyond those basics, there are few reasons to make every student follow the same path.

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.

I lived in a world where social arrangements were taken for granted and assumed to be timeless. A child's obligation was to learn these usages, not to question them. The complexities of racial deportment were of a piece with learning manners and etiquette more generally.

I think a well-rounded education keeps us from being bored and boring!