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It's shortsighted not to view the education of a future generation of Americans as a priority for all Americans.

If you stop and think about our history, one of the reasons we had an American century and there is an American dream was because at key points in our history we made very bold decisions about making sure that there was very broad, universal access to quality education.

A basic element of the American dream is equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility.

If we do not provide education for every single American, we are consigning those without an education to second-class status.

Everyone must have a shot at the American Dream.

The American Dream may be slipping away. We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much.

When we make college more affordable, we make the American dream more achievable.

As an educator, I have always striven to see that the fruits of the American Dream are available to all.

I don't believe that the American dream should be reserved for those who are born into the elite or somehow have been given an advantage over others. My growing-up experience is probably the most important thing that guides my priorities and my work today.

I define the American dream as the ability to imagine a way that you want your life to turn out, and have a reasonable hope that you can achieve that.