Monthly QuotED: 7 Notable Quotes That Made Education Headlines in October, From School Security to Teacher Strikes — and the Value of a Detroit High School Diploma

QuotED is a roundup of the most notable quotes behind America’s top education headlines — taken from our weekly EduClips, which spotlights morning headlines from America’s 15 largest school districts. Read previous EduClips installments here.

“I hope the strike ends sooner, and they do what they need to do. It’s not benefiting the kids or parents. School is their safe place, and it’s where they get a meal, too.” —Fantasia Martin, a mother of two young girls, as the Chicago teachers’ strike entered its second week. (Read at The Washington Post)

“When the average age of a building is 44 years, things start to fail.” —Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, on the need to invest in school infrastructure. (Read at The74Million.org)

“When it was us, the district didn’t feel like they needed to have any immediacy. We don’t have the resources that SLA has, and their parents jumped on it right away. Where there’s money and influence, there’s more privilege.” —Keith Pretlow, a culinary-arts teacher at Ben Franklin High School in Philadelphia. When Science Leadership Academy, a magnet school, relocated to share the site with Ben Franklin, a long-delayed asbestos cleanup moved into high gear. (Read at The Philadelphia Inquirer)

“Is this really school? Is this really education? Is this how it is supposed to be? How am I going to go to college and write a five-page essay … when I’ve been watching movies or going down to the gym?” —Jamarria Hall, 19, who graduated at the top of his class at Detroit’s Osborn High School, a time he now considers four lost years. (Read at the Detroit News)

“I don’t think you can ethically sell an endorsement.” —S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, on school security companies that pay $18,000 a year for the right to call themselves “School Solutions” partners with AASA, The School Superintendents Association. (Read at The74Million.org)

“The bias is present. It’s written. It’s stated. It’s plain.” —Kristen Harper, director for policy development at Child Trends, on threat assessments such as those used by schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that disproportionately target minority students and those with disabilities. (Read at Searchlight New Mexico)

“What if our farts are supposed to help us fly?!” —a student of Christina Torres, an eighth-grade English teacher in Honolulu, collected as part of Education Week’s “Tiny Teaching Stories.” (Read at Education Week)

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