Many of us feel a sense of passion about elementary and secondary education because we can bear witness to how important a role it has played in our lives as we have developed and matured into adulthood. While some of us learned during our early school years that we had certain intellectual, artistic or athletic abilities, others gained the self-confidence needed to continue their chosen paths in life. Similarly, just as some developed an appreciation for classmates who had different life experiences, there were those who simply learned discipline and order for the first time in their lives because of classroom structure. These tangible and intangible benefits that many gained while in grade school explain why so many people from all walks of life are compelled to participate in improving our public schools. We happen to believe that the “magic” that occurred for us during those early years can be restored for today’s youth.

In some ways, it is amazing to witness the range of reform initiatives being implemented across the country. But then again, it’s not so amazing because public schools laid a strong foundation for so many people in so many communities for decades. The breadth and volume of contributions is not only a testament to people’s personal commitment to public schools but also a revelation about their willingness to reach back and try to re-create educational opportunities for school age children in today’s society. The creation of scholarship programs to encourage young people to succeed throughout their early grades has been effective in some communities. The opening of new school prototypes to address identifiable student needs in certain markets has proven to be a timely means of intervention. As entities representing many professions, industries, and sectors increasingly engage in the school reform movement, the range of solutions to local school dilemmas will widen and ultimately reflect the uniqueness and complexity of the problems in education.

As a product of public schools, I am convinced that they can work once again. I believe that schools can be retooled to produce academically prepared students for a changed and global world. Because markets, industries and cultures were less interdependent decades ago, academic training at the elementary and secondary levels did not need to be as cross-disciplinary and integrated as is necessary in this millennium. The predictability and simplicity of the past that allowed school age education to be conducted by teaching subjects isolated from existing realities are long gone. Our complex and uncertain world demands teaching and learning formats that draw upon relationships between academia and praxis while incorporating organizational, administrative, and managerial systems that are interrelated.