Whenever I am asked about vouchers, I am very straightforward. I support them. But I also understand why voucher programs have consistently lost at the polls. And that is something I want to talk about, because I believe that those of us committed to reform do ourselves a disservice if we do not acknowledge where opposition comes from and why. In effect, we undermine the reforms that we say we support, and ultimately fail to help those in greatest need….

I believe that those of us who support vouchers should be very clear that we also support local control. Voters should be able to decide on a local basis how they want to organize their public schools…. If parents cannot choose the best education for their children, their school is going to be chosen for them, the reality is these parents are going to be less involved in monitoring how well their children are learning. Alternatively, if a neighborhood becomes abuzz with information about the best schools to attend, if parents know that they will have to make an important decision, and in fact they are likely to be judged on what decision they make, the expectations in that neighborhood are going to change. That is why parental choice is so important. Not only do we have strong evidence that choice improves schools and educational outcomes, I am convinced that it also will change attitudes and expectations, and the importance of that cannot be overestimated.

Center for Civic Innovation
Manhattan Institute
New York, New York
June 3, 2001

I look back and remind you that Dr. King decried the mis-education of our children, the absence of values in curriculums and worried about educators as much as politicians. He never defended failing schools, lazy administration, or incompetent teachers. “Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal and facts from fiction. The function of education therefore is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.”

Birmingham, Alabama
September 21, 2002

Each and every one of us has a sacred obligation, I believe, to leave to our children an environment—our land, our water and our air—that is better than we found it. Each and every one us must become a steward of the environment, and must teach these values to our children. We must also recognize that good environmental policy can never be imposed from above. It must start at the community level, and it must start with a vision. Government can supply the resources, but you must supply the vision. You have done that here in Glen Cove, and you should be very proud of all you have achieved.

Coastal America Award Ceremony
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Glen Cove, Long Island
September 9, 2003