Parents Matter

Part of a panel on improving schools with the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Arne Duncan has been touring the country in an effort to look at school reform through non-partisan eyes. And on NBC's Meet the Press last night, he reported, "Parents matter tremendously. Parents are always going to be our students' first teachers, and they're always going to be our students' most important teachers." Referencing the way President Obama established expectations with his daughter Malia, David Gregory asked how we can change the way lower-income students imagine their futures — raising expectations from within. Sharpton, Gingrich, and Duncan agreed: parents make all the difference.

If you've only got time for a bit, start about 23 minutes in!