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Home>News 5/07

New publication stresses need
For public education

Public education is a foundational institution to America, and there continues to be an essential role for quality public schools in today’s society, according to a new publication, Why We Still Need Public Schools: Public Education for the Common Good, produced by the Center on Education Policy, based in Washington, D.C.

The report traces development of public education and outlines six missions of public schools that “still apply today.” While calling for the improvement of some schools, the publication calls upon citizens to support their schools.

“Citizens today might take a lesson from the idealism of the founders of public education,” it reads. “Although public schools sometimes fall short of expectations, holding a set of ideals gives these schools something to work toward. The answer is not to do away with public schools or give up on the ideals that have guided them for two centuries. Nor is the answer to accept public schools as they are. The answer is to encourage reforms that will help all schools live up to these ideals.

“Public schools must be accountable to citizens, but citizens must also be accountable to public schools. Americans can provide a model for their children of the virtues of a well-educated citizenry by supporting public education, engaging with their local schools, showing wisdom and compassion in decisions affecting schools, and advocating for better and more equitable public education.”

The report describes America before public education was created in the mid-19th century and much inequity existed in the teaching of children. Children of families with money were educated and many girls, poor white children, African Americans and Native Americans were excluded. The growth of public education was fueled “by high ideals about advancing the common good.”

Public schools have been asked to achieve certain public missions above the pure academic ideals of all schools, public and private. The report outlines six of these.

To provide universal access to free education

    Public schools were established to provide a free education to all children, and that remains a key foundation of the American system today. Eighty-eight percent of country’s elementary and secondary students are enrolled in public schools, and that figure has remained relatively constant for a few decades.

    Additionally, public schools serve all youngsters within their boundaries, unlike private schools which can be selective in enrollment. Ninety-eight percent of youngsters with disabilities attend public schools, which also teach English language learners.

To guarantee equal opportunity for all children

    “Public education has long been recognized as a gateway to opportunity for people from all economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds,” the report reads. “Early advocates of public education contended that only public funding would give schools the consistent support needed to educate children from poor families and bring a more standard approach to curriculum, length of the school year, qualification, and other characteristics.” Subsequently, public schools were seen as a road to success for minorities and women.

   The report goes on to point out that public schools with high poor or minority populations tend to have more inexperienced or “out of field” teachers, and calls for “ensuring equal opportunity… an essential mission for public education.”

To unify a diverse population

   Public schools, more than any other institution, are responsible for “transmitting a common American culture to a diverse population.” The English language and American culture and values have been taught to numerous immigrants through the public schools, and the report explains that “on the whole…U.S. public schools have carried out this unifying mission more successfully than schools in many other countries.”

   With the increase of ethnically and linguistically diverse student population this mission of public education continues today.

To prepare people for citizen ship in a democratic society

    The founders of public education believed that public schools not only had the mission of educating citizens so they could make informed decisions at the ballot box, but also to help develop strong character in young people. This effort continues today in schools that encourage students to volunteer, offer character education, and provide opportunities to participate in community life.

The report cited two examples of how schools were meeting this mission:

• In the 2004 Presidential election, 40 percent of eligible voters with less than a high school education voted, while 56 percent with a high school degree and 78 percent of college grads voted.

• Young people in the United States consistently scored higher than their peers in 26 other democratic nations in interpreting political information.

To prepare people to become economically self-sufficient

    Early American leaders believed that educating children of the middle class and poor families would give them a chance to obtain good jobs and in turn add to the nation’s fiscal well-being.

    “ Without question, public education has been the engine of upward economic mobility for millions of Americans,” according to the publication.” Adults who hold a high school diploma earned an average of $28,645 in 2004—about 1.5 times as much as those who did not graduate high school.

To improve social conditions

    “Many early advocates of the common school put great store in the power of public education to eliminate poverty, crime, and a host of other social problems,” the report reads. “Although education has not done away with all of society’s ills, it has clearly improved people’s lives according to a variety of social indicators.”

   As one example, the report points out that most prison inmates are high school dropouts.

   Quality public schools are important for other reasons than these six missions, according to the publication.

   “Education enriches individuals’ lives by developing their capacities to think critically, appreciate culture, and maintain a sense of curiosity about the world. Education exposes children to new ways of thinking. Perhaps most importantly, a good elementary and secondary education can spur young people to go on to higher education and pursue learning all their lives.”

The full report can be downloaded at this link.