I will not be deterred from my mission of helping kids in this country.
If you don't live in an area with good public schools, you can move to a different place if you have the financial means to do so.
It could be easy to get frustrated or discouraged when it comes to educating students with disabilities. But that's because there are too often artificial barriers and roadblocks that limit your ability to focus on meeting their individual needs.
As a mom, I just can't imagine having a child who would feel discriminated against for any reason, and I would want my child in a safe environment.
I look forward to talking about how we can work together to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all students while also refocusing the federal role in education.
You have to have teachers who are empowered to facilitate great teaching.
I'm proud to stand beside you as a partner and support Special Olympics - an important program that promotes leadership and empowers students to be agents of change.
When we had segregated schools and when we had a time when, you know, girls weren't allowed to have the same kind of sports teams - I mean, there have been important inflection points for the federal government to get involved in some of the areas around protecting students and ensuring safe environments for them - there is a role to play.
I greatly appreciate being asked to be part of President-elect Trump's team and I will continue to enthusiastically support him and his agenda for American renewal.
As a kid, I grew up middle class, but my father was a great innovator with an entrepreneurial spirit, and it wasn't long before my family became part of the infamous 1%.
If politicians in a state block education choice, it means those politicians do not support equal opportunity for all kids.
Parents no longer believe that a one-size-fits-all model of learning meets the needs of every child. And they know other options exist, whether magnet, virtual, charter, home, faith-based, or any other combination.
It is necessary and critical for states to have flexibility to determine how to identify and improve schools.
I can now video chat with my grandkids from any corner of the world, listen to music, or order food and have it delivered to my front door.
When governors such as John Engler, Mike Huckabee, and Mike Pence were driving the conversation on voluntary high standards driven by local voices, it all made sense.
I need to stress that I could not be more supportive of great teachers and great teaching, no matter what kind of delivery vehicle they are teaching through. We have to support great teachers. They just have to be freed up to do what they do best.
At my direction, the Department's Office for Civil Rights remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying, and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools.
I do support high standards, strong accountability, and local control.
There isn't really any Common Core any more. Each state is able to set the standards for their state. They may elect to adopt very high standards for their students to aspire to and to work toward. And that will be up to each state.
If taxpayer money were limitless, we wouldn't need a budget at all.
