No Child Left Behind's fourth-grade gains aren't learning gains, they're testing gains. That's why they don't last. The law is a distraction from things that really count.

President Obama's first term in office has been better for intentions than for actual changes in planning and policy. I do believe, and he has several things to this effect, that he would like to provide universal preschool or at least far more preschool for our children.

The fact that a crime might have been committed with impunity in the past may make it seem more familiar and less gruesome, but surely does not give it any greater legitimacy.

Schooling should not be left to the whim or wealth of village elders. I believe that we should fund all schools in the U.S. with our national resources. All these kids are being educated to be Americans, not citizens of Minneapolis or San Francisco.

I grew up in Kentucky, so we do not have a pro team. My family was split between the Cubs and the Reds. I would say I go Cubs usually. That's sort of where I grew up. My older brother was a huge Reds fan.

When I was 15, Dad left the family for good. I didn't want to believe it at the time, but the fact was that he deserted us kids and abandoned Mom after 25 years of marriage.

When you are caring about your children perhaps you always have to remember at what point you can become over involved because of something you need rather than something the child needs.

We all have friends and family who see one path for us, and we go a different path, and it's not necessarily what they would have wanted.