“What stunned me was the disrespect students showed to teachers, the lack of concern about the consequences of improper behavior, and the utter disinterest in learning shown by so many kids. Kids learn how to behave at home, not at school.’'
Columnist Mark Simon of the Palo Alto, Calif.,Peninsula Times Tribune, on what he learned by spending several days at a local high school
“That’s one of the best things about having call waiting. You talk to your friends while you wait for the school recording to come. You’re talking, the line clicks, and your parents don’t even hear the phone ring.’'
Shanna Matthews, 16, on how she intercepts computerized calls made by her school to her parents. The calls are made between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to inform parents when their child has been absent
“The field of black history was, until recently, shamefully neglected, and much of what was written was incomplete and biased. But the notion that Africa was the source of everything good and Europe was the source of everything evil is not history at all, but rhetoric.’'
Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
“America’s schools have two drug problems. Although intolerably high, the use of cocaine, marijuana, and other illicit controlled drugs has declined sharply over the past decade. The use of alcohol and tobacco, however, has remained at a high level.’'
From the final report of the National Commission on Drug-Free Schools
