“It’s like the Fourth of July every day.”
—Sophomore Katharine Dodson on classmates’ new displays of patriotism—including the enthusiastic recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance each morning—at a Northern Virginia high school known for its anti-establishment student body.
“American kids have never been exposed to positive, let alone neutral, images of Arab Americans.”
—American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee spokesperson Hussein Ibish on the challenge teachers and administrators face in preventing harassment of Arab American students in schools.
“The policies at the heart of MCAS are the same. They’re just putting a nicer face on it.”
—Monty Neill, executive director of FairTest, an anti-testing group, on the Massachusetts Board of Education’s move to call the lowest scores on the state exam “warning,” rather than “failing,” marks for students in grades 3 to 9.
“It’s paying attention to details, like the pop machines. Disconnecting the lights in the pop machines saved us $8,000 to $10,000 this [past school] year. It doesn’t mean the soda is warm, and everyone can think of ways to spend that kind of money.”
—Pat Decker, energy manager for the Indian Prairie schools in Illinois, on her district’s cost-cutting initiatives.
“I think teachers are in a really very, very hard position. They are suffering exactly the same emotions as we are, the same sadness, the same confusion, the same feelings of insecurity, and they’re taking care of our children.”
—Laura Bush, speaking about the effects of the September 11 terrorist attack on schools on the Oprah Winfrey Show in September.
