Preparing students to enter the workforce and attracting and retaining good teachers are Americans' top educational priorities for the next administration in Washington, regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election, the 2024 PDK Poll finds. While eight in 10 or more Americans pick those two items as priorities, other policy priorities…

Since its founding in 1979, one of the U.S. Department of Education's primary missions has been to promote civil debate about the condition of our schools and colleges. Our past secretaries of education -- 12 of them in all -- have recognized that they have important rhetorical responsibilities, not only to call attention to the urgent educational…

The 2020 PDK Poll of the Public's Attitude Toward the Public Schools finds that more than half of adults consider public education highly important in their choice for president. And regardless of political party, most Americans agree that the administration in Washington should focus on attracting and retaining good teachers to the profession and…

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2015, succeeded in weakening the least popular parts of the No Child Left Behind act. But, argues Jack Jennings, it's a purely reactive piece of legislation, offering no positive vision for the federal government's role in addressing K-12 education's most urgent problems. ESSA is still young, he…

The author draws on his extensive experience helping lead Congress's education efforts and later a highly respected education research concern to propose a new approach to federal education policy that expands and transforms the federal role. This new approach would significantly expand federal aid to schools that is not restricted to particular…

The Washington-based America 2000 system may be as close to a genuine national network as education in the 1990s will get. Riddled with inconsistencies, the network is becoming a nationwide "meeting-place" for reformers supporting the general concept of educational reform without the financial obligations. America 2000 is a top-down…

President Clinton's "Religious Expression in the Public Schools" guidelines, based on 50 years of court rulings, have proved useful and helped reduce controversy. Problems continue in three areas: proselytizing by adults, musical programs falling short of the desired neutrality, and teaching appropriately about religion. Other curricular…

Battles over education during past four years have shown that Congress and President must achieve some level of agreement to accomplish anything and that adequate funding must be provided to back up any legislated policy change. President Clinton should write coherent action plan to initiate national apprenticeship program, align existing federal…

Teachers' eyes glaze over when conversation turns to how international trade agreements might affect public education. Industry Canada says GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) will open up new markets in postsecondary education without damaging elementary/secondary education. MAI was deflected, but WTO agreements pose threats. (MLH)

Many America 2000 proposals should be challenged by educators, in view of powerful and readily available evidence sources, including the Sandia Report suppressed by the Bush Administration. Findings showed that aggregate SAT, NAEP, and GRE scores are rising; dropout rates are declining (except for Hispanics); and beginning teachers' salaries (in…

With the 1996 funding concessions, financing of private schools in Australia has come full circle. Australians seem prepared to accept educational democracy and pluralism as a way to pass on distinctive forms of cultural capital. However, the 1996 legislation may encourage an exodus from the state school system. (Contains 16 references.) (MLH)

Public education is not highly supported by the American public, who put economics first. The GI Bill and Cold War era prove that point. Schools have suffered from bad press, ultraconservatism, provincialism, teacher nonprofessionalism, commercialism, gambling, student fundraising, misplaced government/parental priorities, an uninviting work…

The National School Boards Association's executive director dismisses the idea that state initiatives will eliminate local control of education, as well as problems local boards have faced. He claims that those accepting this idea don't understand educational governance, the political traditions behind that governance, or the effectiveness of…

Highlighting Massachusetts initiatives, examines the recent state movement toward adoption of curriculum frameworks and state assessments as vehicles for improving accountability and student achievement. Absence of standards guarantees stratified educational opportunities. Reform initiatives should include practitioners; avoid prescriptive,…