With our help, nearly every state has set higher academic standards for public schools, and a voluntary national test is being developed to measure the progress of our students.

CNN: Prepared Text of Clinton's State of the Union speech

When I was in junior high, public schools tolerated a much higher background level of bullying than they do in the post-Columbine era, but when I was at the Spelling Bee, I fit in.

CNN: National contest isn't bee-all and end-all

The city cited increases in crime rates, more gang activity, higher spending on bilingual education at its public schools and on health care, and various other expenses, with no offsetting rise in tax revenues.

ECONOMIST: A powerful precedent is set

Since the 1970s state courts around the country have cited clauses in their state constitutions that guarantee quality education for all students in public schools to try to equalize the spending in poor and higher-income districts.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

Harvard's study of the Milwaukee schools found that, after four years, pupils in voucher schools had maths scores 11 percentage points higher than their unlucky public contemporaries, and six points higher in reading.

ECONOMIST: Sorting out school choice

And this term, the court limited voluntary school desegregation plans in public schools and that's just three years after the court upheld affirmative action in higher education.

NPR: The Supreme Court Shifts Direction

Rather than band together to force higher taxes on the extremely wealthy (and save public programs like Medicare and Social Security, as well as schools, roads, and other necessary government expenditures), the middle class is divided and politically weak.

FORBES: Forget President Obama: Why Isn't Robert Reich President?