"America needs the best education system in the world. We have it in higher education. We do not have it in general education for all of our people - the K-12 education. Other nations are far, far outdoing the United States in that area. We still have the lead in research, but once again, other nations are pouring more into research also. We still have a lead, but to me it's just very, very important that we keep that lead in basic research"
About this Quote
The subtext is a warning about pipelines. Great universities don’t float above society; they’re fed by ordinary classrooms, by math teachers and lab benches and school districts that decide whether talent gets cultivated or discarded. When Glenn says “for all of our people,” he’s not doing abstraction. He’s pointing at a democratic vulnerability: a nation can’t lead on the backs of a narrow slice of students and then act surprised when the talent pool shrinks.
The repeated “still” is doing quiet rhetorical work. “We still have the lead” reads like a status report, not a boast - an astronaut’s version of “oxygen levels are adequate, for now.” He pairs K-12 decline with research competition to suggest a pincer movement: other countries are improving both the front end (basic education) and the high end (research investment). In the Cold War and post-Sputnik political memory Glenn carried, science wasn’t a lifestyle brand; it was sovereignty. “Basic research” becomes the strategic asset that keeps the future from being outsourced.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Glenn, John. (2026, January 15). America needs the best education system in the world. We have it in higher education. We do not have it in general education for all of our people - the K-12 education. Other nations are far, far outdoing the United States in that area. We still have the lead in research, but once again, other nations are pouring more into research also. We still have a lead, but to me it's just very, very important that we keep that lead in basic research. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/america-needs-the-best-education-system-in-the-173472/
Chicago Style
Glenn, John. "America needs the best education system in the world. We have it in higher education. We do not have it in general education for all of our people - the K-12 education. Other nations are far, far outdoing the United States in that area. We still have the lead in research, but once again, other nations are pouring more into research also. We still have a lead, but to me it's just very, very important that we keep that lead in basic research." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/america-needs-the-best-education-system-in-the-173472/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"America needs the best education system in the world. We have it in higher education. We do not have it in general education for all of our people - the K-12 education. Other nations are far, far outdoing the United States in that area. We still have the lead in research, but once again, other nations are pouring more into research also. We still have a lead, but to me it's just very, very important that we keep that lead in basic research." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/america-needs-the-best-education-system-in-the-173472/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
