Jack O'Connell Quotations

We accepted a higher proportion of English-learner students than any other state in the country, ... Our exclusion rate of English learners was 12%, while Texas' exclusion rate was 37.5% and New York's was 29%.

The fact that more than half of our students have not yet achieved proficiency on the state's content standards, and that a wide achievement gap continues, shows how much work still needs to be done,

Since I started acting, I've always been aware of the sort of 'beastly entity' that is America and Hollywood, and semi-consciously, I devised a kind of route in - I'd seen a lot of people try and fail.

My first experience on a feature film was with Shane Meadows on 'This Is England.'

Revenues did go up, and according to our agreement with the governor public education should have been one of the beneficiaries.

I worked on a farm for a little bit.

I'd be lying if I said I never think about my female fans in certain shots and certain scenes. Like, when I'm topless, I might think: 'This one is for the ladies.'

I find the education I got from living in Derby and being streetwise and knowing the people that I know, the lessons that I had to learn growing up, have set me in good stead for this kind of working life.

It is clear that California must do more to improve student achievement. The scores released today are not surprising and are another indication of the challenges we face.

Our students can't afford to miss school. Our schools can't afford missing students. And our state can't afford to rest for one day until we close the gap in achievement that threatens the futures of many immigrant children.

I was a youngster looking up to dudes like Vicky McClure, Joe Dempsie and Michael Socha - in fact, he was a big influence on how I was able to detach drama from the all-singing, all-dancing stigma.

We must seek extraordinary achievement levels for those students to close the achievement gap,

To me, this is blatant class warfare. It's a blatant class attack, especially in light of the continuing tax cuts, and you are going to pay for the taxes by reducing health care for the poor and elderly.

With data showing six years of improved student achievement, we know that California schools are headed in the right direction, ... We now need to maintain the focus on high standards to keep up the momentum for improved student achievement at all schools.

We have accountability, we have world-class content standards. Now we have to provide nourishment.

At this pace, we are on track toward a passage rate close to the same percentage of students that now fulfill all other requirements to receive a high school diploma,

These much-needed funds come at a critical time when state budget cuts are affecting the students who need the most help, ... These funds will help kids meet California's high academic standards so they will be successful in school or the workplace without the need for remedial courses.

I wanted to join the Army when football failed. That was my only realistic form of making an honest living.

Awarding a student a diploma without the necessary skills and knowledge does a great disservice to that student.

At a time when our nation should be investing in the future of our students as never before, this budget cuts education funding for the first time in a decade.

It's much more important to me that our students have the skills necessary to not only survive but to thrive in this new global economy, and that's more important to me than simply having a piece of paper.

It's important to keep one core principle front and center: awarding a student a diploma without the skills and knowledge to back it up does the student a disservice.

I've had the good fortune of studying the 17th-century art of Amsterdam in preparation for a film.

I want to create a body of work that is entertaining and speaks to people for a long time. Longer than my life span.

I hope this program to turn around the Oakland Unified School District will provide a model for innovation and commitment to our students and their families,

I'm actually a hippy in real life. I had three dreadlocks on the back of my head once. They were spawning.

I'm particularly concerned about African-American students and English language learners. The answer is not to ignore the achievement gap by giving diplomas to unprepared students.

I need to mature a bit - then I might have something to show for it.

I like the ideology of there being no such thing as perfection. But I'm of the opinion that I have witnessed perfection at various times, especially in art.

I hope 100 percent of students on the diploma track pass.

I quite like to sing, actually - just belting out numbers with my guitar. I find that it's a form of tranquility.

I feel like I've grown up on screen quite a lot.

If I'm among my boys or people I've grown up with, I can be immature.

I'd fight tooth and nail to protect our high academic standards and to ensure sound science is protected in our classrooms.

Certain jobs [films] are for the business really, because they get an audience, they get a global audience. Certain jobs are as an artist. If I can keep moving forward and strike some form of balance between them two, then I'm going to feel content.

Reading scripts is actually quite a relaxing part of the job. Strangely relaxing. This is a whole different ball game.

The way America appreciates cinema is different from anywhere in the world. It's celebrated and supported. I don't just mean by the individuals, but financially as well people are throwing money at certain projects.

It's an old story, really: seduced and corrupted, in the end, by an obsessive love for the text.

The growth targets by the federal government have doubled,

a more accurate reflection of trends in our schools.