As an example, one of the schools I have been studying is too small to compete effectively in most sports, but participates with vigor each year in the state music contests.

The higher the social class of other students the higher any given student's achievement.

A child's learning is a function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher.

The educational resources provided by a child's fellow students are more important for his achievement than are the resources provided by the school board.

If we refuse to accept as inevitable the irresponsibility and educational unconcern of the adolescent culture, then this poses a serious challenge.

In every school, more boys wanted to be remembered as a star athlete than as a brilliant student.

Particular individuals who might never consider dropping out if they were in a different high school might decide to drop out if they attended a school where many boys and girls did so.

Children from a given family background, when put in schools of different social compositions, will achieve at quite different levels.

Cultural dominance of middle-class norms prevail in middle-class schools with a teacher teaching toward those standards and with students striving to maintain those standards.

I'd propose that each central-city child should have an entitlement from the state to attend any school in the metropolitan area outside his own district - with per pupil funds going with him.

In a high school, the norms act to hold down the achievements of those who are above average, so that the school's demands will be at a level easily maintained by the majority.

A person either buys his dream by surrendering his excuses or he buys his excuses by surrendering his dream.

In spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser and happier as a result.

Nine times out of ten it's a minor shift in your focus and your attitude that makes the difference.

We do very little re-writing in the office. We often take on people who show great promise and who we hope will develop into somebody important and someone good.

Humans change themselves through technology.

Calling someone a drama queen is so negative. Why not 'content creator'?

As far as the search for truth is concerned, 98% of our thinking is rubbish. The remaining 2% is garbage. Throw it all out and be empty! Truth cannot be caught by intellect alone - grace is needed.

The only way to do the human rights thing is to do the right thing medically.

My actual intake of different substances was far below what people thought it was, no matter how weird or outrageous they think I am

[We often] criticize the people on TV: 'He just can't act.' 'You call that singing?' ... We get jealous not because we're evil, but because we have little artists pent up inside us.