Page 8 - Priorities 2

“I’m not talking about people that have made a conscious choice to retreat from the national educa- tionalcommunity.Iamspeakingof thepeople— and I think it is most of us — who have an overriding concern for the good education of all the children. We have much to gain by working together towards that common goal,” he says.
—C. Dobervich
Serving on the Carnegie Commission
It isn’t all long lunches and dips in the hotel pool. Long, intense meetings requiring iron control over one’s impulse to interrupt would be a better description,
Dr. Cody reports with a wry smile.
Crashing headaches were common by the end of the day.
“(The commissioners) weren’t selected for their retiring personali- ties or because they all shared the same views. They are articulate, very able people trying to reach consen- sus on a subject they care about passionately..
“It was invigorating, but a real work- out. By the end, speaking for myself at least, I didn’t feel I owned the whole document but I am reason- ably satisfied with my input,” he said.
Unlike many educational commis- sions, the Carnegie did not detail what’s wrong with high schools. Instead, it notes that while some schools are in dire need of improve- ment, even the best schools are not all they could be.
A measure of quality The Commission says high schools should strive to provide for every student:
• Academic achievement for every student in accord with nationally recognized standards
• The underpinnings for good citi- zenship and participation in this society
• Attention to non-academic aspects of teens’ growth towards adulthood
• Ability to continue learning throughout their life
• Preparation to enter, upon gradu- ation, the next stage of their lives, with the understanding that every- one ultimately must earn a living
• Comfort with technology and abil- ity to stay abreast of changes.
• Awareness of the world’s interde- pendent nature and ability to function in a world culture
• Additionally, schools as an institu- tion “must unabashedly advocate in behalf of young people.”
“We (the public
and private school communities) have much to gain by working together..."
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