What Really Counts in Schools.

Abstract

D eciding what really counts in our schools is the first order of our educational mission The second is to create the conditions that are consistent with that mission There is no shortage of opinion about our mission We hear from the highest offices in our land that American \> schools are in dismal state We hear from others that they are in slate of crisis We read in the mass media about our lowly position, not in the arms race, but in the education race Education has become the front line in our quest for international supremacy For many, there is no mistaking it: Education is not only business, it is competitive race We are told that we must get our house in order, in order to continue to reside in our house others are wait ing in the wings The mark of our success will be our position among other nations on tests that purportedly measure what counts I have more than severe reserva tions about such prescriptions for ed ucational supremacy. Neither suprem acy nor the metaphor of the race are, I believe, appropriate for thinking about the kinds of lives we would like our children to lead A president who, when campaigning for office, spoke of the need for a kinder and gentler