Public Schools: Of the People, By the People, and
For the People
In an age when public schools face criticism by the
press and by elected officials, reminders of the importance
of public education are hard to find. A recent reminder,
however, comes from the Center
on Education Policy (CEP), in their new report,
“Why We Still Need Public Schools: Public Education
for the Common Good.” The CEP report describes
the missions of public education and explains why public
education is provided not only by the public but also
for the public. To treat education as a “private
consumer good,” the report emphasizes, is to miss
the point of public education and to lose out on its
benefits.
Democratic Missions
The
CEP report describes six missions of public schools,
found in public education’s historical roots and
still applicable today:
- To provide universal access to free education
- To guarantee equal opportunities for all children
- To improve social conditions
- To unify a diverse population
- To prepare people for citizenship in a democratic
society
- To prepare people to become economically self-sufficient
Too often, the report notes, people focus only on the
final reason and thus see education as a private good
for which one must compete. This view of education forgets
the democratic ideals underlying public education, embodied
in the first two missions.
One of the rationales of early supporters of public
education was the importance of education in sustaining
democracy. Completely private education, like any other
private good, becomes concentrated in the hands of the
wealthiest and most powerful citizens, shutting out
less advantaged citizens from a place in public life;
if America is to truly be a place where any child can
dream of growing up to be President, then public education
is a necessity.
To provide this equal opportunity for all students,
schools take on the substantial burden of alleviating
and rectifying social inequalities. Public schools,
the CEP report notes, are expected to feed low-income
children breakfast and lunch, provide before- and after-school
care, prevent substance abuse and violence, address
children’s health issues, and act as community
centers for children and families.
Creating Citizens, Benefiting from Citizenship
The ideals of democracy and citizenship are tied up
in public education, explains the CEP report. Schools
not only produce informed voters, but they also teach
students how to engage in dialogue and debate about
important issues. Schools can also promote other responsibilities
of citizenship by promoting community action and volunteerism
among students. To produce effective citizens, all students,
regardless of background, must have access to education,
and public education is the most egalitarian way to
provide that education.
In addition to producing better citizens and stronger
democracy, public schools can benefit from citizenship
and democracy. Public schools and local school boards
provide a democratic forum for people to decide what
their children should learn and how they should learn
it. Government, at all levels from local to national,
provides a coordinating role in making sure that all
students receive a high-quality education, but also
makes sure that citizens have a voice in how that education
is provided. “Without public schools,” the
report warns, “citizens would lack clear channels
to influence state or national education policy. There
would be no guarantees that any of the public missions
of public education would remain a priority.”
Help All Schools
Many problems do exist in public education, the report
admits, ranging from poor leadership, to inadequate
funding, to the constraints that come from serving many
children who live in poverty. However, the report concludes
that this is no reason to abandon public education.
“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.”
In a functioning democracy, few things could be more
fundamental.
Prepared by Matthew Samberg, February 21, 2006
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