How do we decide which States are fulfilling their mandate to deliver quality public education to all of their students?
First, we have to agree on what criteria accurately display States’ strengths and weaknesses in their public school policies. One group, the Network for Public Education (NPE), has chosen criteria such as training of teachers, funding, high stakes testing, and privatization of schools.
It should be no surprise that one of the founders of NPE is Diane Ravitch. She has been an outspoken critic of current education trends such as charter schools and standardized tests. As an education historian she believes that these types of reforms are dismantling the very institutions that created successful public education in the United States.
I think NPE’s report is a valuable perspective because it provides an alternative to the wave of current public education policy reforms. After seeing the report you may even decide that you don’t agree with all the changes in America’s public schools.
Getting An Education 