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It's hard work to ensure that all schools are safe and welcoming places for all children. It means changing policies, practices and cultures; providing school support personnel; and funding programs like restorative justice - not simply resorting to excessive and often discriminatory discipline.

Also, if we take back our schools and concentrate on improving them so our children get a better education, they will be better trained to compete for a job locally.

There's no silver bullet when it comes to helping all children achieve. Great public schools are our best shot.

When you think about the children, one of the things that I'm quite concerned about - and I've heard it expressed by others - is trying to find how we can build better accountability, work to provide a level of education that prepares our children for the future.

The most important part of education is proper training in the nursery.

As the son of a union activist and a lifelong Democrat, I've always thought that privatizing our public schools is not the answer. We must strengthen public schools.

At the federal level, we must help, not hinder, local school boards, parents, teachers and administrators as they make decisions about educating our children.

What I'd like to say is that I think the lives of every one of these little kids who are trapped in these unsafe and failing schools are too important, and I'm willing to take the abuse in order to help them.

Instead of unfairly demonizing teachers, we should be working with them to find solutions to the problems in our schools and make sure every child gets an outstanding public education.

The government gets it right on Head Start. We are providing opportunities for children in underserved areas where parents may not be able to afford preschool so they can begin their schooling with a running or Head Start.