But Bill Clinton and Al Gore would have none of that. We fought side by side in 1995 and 1996 when Newt Gingrich and his allies in the Congress wanted to close down the government and eliminate the Department. But we prevailed because we heard the American people ask us to help improve their public schools, and we responded with optimism and determination to do so. Together, we helped make education our nation's number one priority, and that is something we all can be proud of. But even now, there are still some people out there who want to focus on the negative instead of the positive.
Some people seem bent on tearing down public education every chance they get.
So let me set the record straight. They haven't done their homework. We have been challenging the status quo. We have been making positive changes. And, we are now starting to see the positive results from our many years of effort.