   
  This title and other NIF guides are produced by Public Agenda with the Kettering Foundation for participants in the hundreds of National Issues Forums discussions that are held around the country every year. General readers will also find the guides, written by former New York Times correspondent Michael deCourcy Hinds, to be helpful introductions to policy debates on the country's most pressing concerns.
|
| Introduction |
2 |
Most Americans say children are not learning
enough in public schools. Is there a way to fix the schools? As with
other NIF issue books, this one provides an overview of the issue
and, to promote public deliberation, outlines several perspectives,
or choices. Each choice speaks for one set of American priorities
and views and, drawing ideas from across the political spectrum,
advocates a unique and consistent approach to the issue. Some
elements of the choices are readily mixed, but not others, as each
choice takes the nation in a very different direction. (...click for full text)
Parents are captive consumers of a failing education monopoly, one lacking competitive pressure to improve or hold costs down. No single system of education can meet the needs of 53 million schoolchildren — many systems are needed. We can improve public education by giving parents the widest possible choice among public schools, publicly chartered schools, private schools, religious schools, and for-profit schools. With public schools failing badly, it's time to spend school dollars in a way that helps children get the best education they can, wherever they can.
|
| What Can Be Done? |
7 |
| In Support & In Opposition |
9 |
The public school system isn't a monopoly run amok; it's a preeminent democratic institution that is no longer in sync with the needs of our economy and society. Public schools must be fixed because they teach democratic values, assimilate immigrants, and help children learn to live in a diverse society. We can fix the schools by setting and enforcing high standards for core academics and behavior — clear, uniform standards provide a blueprint for remodeling public education, from training teachers to holding schools accountable for student achievement. |
| What Can Be Done? |
11 |
| In Support & In Opposition |
13 |
Public schools aren't national melting pots. Instead, successful schools serve each community's needs, reflecting local educational priorities. Other efforts to fix public schools are doomed to failure because — to borrow a medical idiom — they treat the disease, not the patient. Public education — the patient — is starving for public participation and direction. Recovery requires schools to shed their unresponsive, bureaucratic shells and integrate education with the community's goals and plans. As citizens and local organizations share talents and resources, the need for other remedial programs diminishes. |
| What Can Be Done? |
15 |
| In Support & In Opposition |
17 |
Other reforms ignore the schools' biggest problems: money and fairness. Many schools are in disrepair, many classrooms are overcrowded, and good teachers are in short supply because of poor pay, training, and working conditions. The worst money problems — and the worst schools — are in low-income districts. As a nation, we are not investing nearly enough in education, and more important, we are not sharing school revenues in a democratic way that ensures every child an adequate education. Schools must be modernized, and a larger investment is needed. |
| What Can Be Done? |
19 |
| In Support & In Opposition |
21 |
| Comparing the Choices |
22 |
| What Are the National Issues Forums? |
24 |
| Questionnaires: Register Your Views |
25 |
| Acknowledgments, Credits, and Ordering Information |
29 |
Top
Contact Us © Public Agenda 1997-99 |
