Is There a Public for Public Schools?Paperback, 1 January 1996

In this groundbreaking book, David Mathews reports the results of more than a decade of research studies carried out by the Kettering Foundation on the relationship between the public and public education. As Mathews makes clear, these studies have uniformly pointed to a deterioration of that relationship suggesting that the historic commitment of Americans to their public schools is in danger of disappearing. He goes on to argue that fundamental, lasting improvement of the schools will be achieved only when citizens reclaim them and take responsiblility for their well-being. In the final chapter of "Is There a Public for Public Schools?" Mathews proposes a strategy whereby interested citizens might accept that challenge, a strategy based on the assumption that healthy community life is essential to good public schools.