Reclaiming Public Education by Reclaiming Our Democracy is about what
citizens and educators alike want from public education and how they
might come closer to getting it. It is also about the obstacles that
block them, beginning with significant differences in the ways that
citizens see problems in the schools and the ways that professional
educators and policymakers talk about them. Discussions of
accountability, the achievement gap, vouchers, and the like don't always
resonate with people's real concerns. As a result, a deep chasm has
developed between citizens and the schools that serve them. Citizens say
they are frustrated by their inability to make a difference in improving
the public schools. But educators say they can't get the public support
they need. Citizens think local school boards determine what happens in
schools. But board members complain that their hands are tied by
external restrictions and conflicting demands. Citizens want schools
that instill self-discipline and promote social responsibility. But
schools are overwhelmed by the need to meet legislatively mandated
standards and raise test scores. Can this divide be bridged? This book
describes how people's sense of responsibility for the schools withers
as the chasm grows. It also offers ideas about the work citizens can do
to reverse this trend and improve education. David Mathews, secretary of
Health, Education, and Welfare in the Ford administration and a former
president of The University of Alabama, is president of the Charles F.
Kettering Foundation.
About the Kettering Foundation
The Kettering Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit operating
foundation rooted in the American tradition of cooperative research.
Kettering's primary research question is: What does it take to make
democracy work as it should? Kettering's research is distinctive because
it is conducted from the perspective of citizens and focuses on what
people can do collectively to address problems affecting their lives,
their communities, and their nation. For more information about
Kettering research and publications, see the Kettering Foundation's
website at www.kettering.org.
