Over-reliance on strictly economic justifications has already begun to hurt the quality and range of education at every level of American life.

Looking ahead, I believe that the underlying importance of higher education, of science, of technology, of research and scholarship to our quality of life, to the strength of our economy, to our security in many dimensions will continue to be the most important message.

If we don't empower families to be able to have a quality education, then their children - for the first time in American history, truly the first time - will not have the same economic opportunities.

Crime and the fear of crime have permeated the fabric of American life.

Envy is the central fact of American life.

The idea of finding strategies to better educational reforms is shared among educators, policy makers, and education stakeholders in the U.S. This is what will propel America to see such a bright future we hope for.