To push for excellence today without continuing to push for access for less privileged students is to undermine the crucial but incomplete gains that have been made. Equity and excellence cannot be divided.
Ernest L. BoyerRead
In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we give to full professors, this one act alone would revitalize the nation's schools.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Valuing first grade teachers equally to professors can significantly improve education.
Ernest L. Boyer's quote emphasizes that the quality of education is directly linked to the quality of teaching, particularly at the foundational levels such as first grade. He argues that if society recognized and elevated the status of elementary educators to be on par with that of university professors, it would lead to notable improvements in the education system as a whole, thereby revitalizing schools and benefiting students.
Themes
EducationTeachingTeachersStatusExcellence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about reforming education policy, one might reference this quote to advocate for higher pay for teachers.
More from Ernest L. Boyer
All quotes →To put it simply, school readiness means creating in this country a public love of children.
Ernest L. BoyerRead
The assumption of all education is that learning will be directed toward constructive ends and I'm convinced that colleges should support students in their determination to be useful, self-sufficient, and productive.
Ernest L. BoyerRead
Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests, gain a more integrative view of knowledge, and relate their learning to the realities of life.
Ernest L. BoyerRead
In an era when careerism dominates the campus, is it too much to expect students to go beyond their private interests, learn about the world around them, develop a sense of civic and social responsibility, and discover how they can contribute to the common good?
Ernest L. BoyerRead
A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.
Ernest L. BoyerRead
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