Public School Facts, History, and Education Issues » Democracy & Public Schools

This blog posted on April 21, 2011, in the Huffington Post, by Jack Jennings counters the criticisms of conservative critics of federal aid to education by describing the equity purpose of this aid and then highlighting the major educational achievements of the groups principally targeted for this assistance.

In this paper, CEP president and CEO Jack Jennings tracks the federal government’s involvement in education through the course of American history, and argues that this involvement must continue.  Jennings provides evidence that the government has played an essential role in the development of public schools – consistent with the founding fathers’ vision – and that this role is vital to the continued success of the country.  Supplemental papers by Wayne Riddle and Alexandra Usher discuss in more detail two aspects of federal involvement: special provisions written into the U.S. tax code that provide substantial indirect financial support for public education, and the federal land grants given to states for the support of public schools.  PDFs of states’ original Enabling Acts establishing their land grants are also available below.

This article, written by Jack Jennings, CEP's president and appearing in the February 7, 2011 Huffington Post, discusses the history of the federal role in education, and gives reasons why the federal government should continue to be involved in education.

A brief overview of questions that should be asked for each change impacting the US system of education

Why It Began and Why It's Still Needed - An overview of the historical role and the impact of the federal government in education.

A brief presentation and a pamphlet on the reasons public schools offer a good place for children to learn about diversity and how to live in social harmony.

Report on 60 community forums sponsored by CEP, the National PTA, and Phi Delta Kappa to discuss what Americans expect from public education.

The author recounts his experiences in conducting public forums on education throughout the country in 1996-1997 in this article published in the June 1997 issue of the Phi Delta Kappa.