QuoteProject
Public education is the key civil rights issue of the 21st century. Our nation's knowledge-based economy demands that we provide young people from all backgrounds and circumstances with the education and skills necessary to become knowledge workers. If we don't, we run the risk of creating an even larger gap between the middle class and the poor. This gap threatens our democracy, our society and the economic future of America.
Eli Broad
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Public education is crucial for ensuring equal opportunities for all, regardless of background.

This quote emphasizes the importance of public education as a fundamental civil rights issue in the 21st century. It argues that in order to thrive in a knowledge-based economy, we must equip all young people with the necessary education and skills, lest we exacerbate the socioeconomic divide that can endanger democracy and the future of society.

Themes

EducationCivil RightsKnowledgeEconomyInequality

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about educational reform, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of equal access to education.

More from Eli Broad

Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.
Eli BroadRead
How absurd that our students tuck their cell phones, BlackBerrys, iPads, and iPods into their backpacks when they enter a classroom and pull out a tattered textbook.
Eli BroadRead
Who you spend your life with-much more so than how you choose to spend it-is the most important decision you can make. Do it right. That's the best advice I can give you.
Eli BroadRead
If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status quo. I want to help people, to work with institutions or create ones when they don't exist.
Eli BroadRead
Los Angeles is such a great meritocracy. Where can someone with my background - don't have the right family background, the right religion, the right provenance or whatever you want to call it - I come here and I'm accepted. The city's been good to me. And I want to give back.
Eli BroadRead
Contemporary art challenges us.. it broadens our horizons. It asks us to think beyond the limits of conventional wisdom.
Eli BroadRead

Similar quotes

Educating our young girls is the foundation for Nigeria's growth and development.
Ngozi Okonjo-IwealaRead
I became a journalist because I didn't want to have to rely on the press for information... I only read it to make sure of whatever everyone else thinks is going on, because it's useful to know what people think is the news.
Christopher HitchensRead
Nothing sickens me more than the closed door of a library.
Barbara TuchmanRead
I was 17 the first time I set foot in a classroom, but 10 years later, I would graduate from Cambridge with a Ph.D. 'Educated' is the story of how I came by my education. It is also the story of how I lost my family.
Tara WestoverRead
Our teachers are operating just as effective leaders in the business world do. They set a vision that most people think is crazy. They convince the kids why it's important to accomplish the goal. And they are totally relentless.
Wendy KoppRead
There is no education system in the world - none at all - that's better than its average teacher.
David PuttnamRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.