Poet Adrienne Rich in Arts of the Possible made this claim on the cusp of No Child Left Behind (NCLB):
“Universal public education has two possible—and contradictory—missions. One is the development of a literate, articulate, and well-informed citizenry so that the democratic process can continue to evolve and the promise of radical equality can be brought closer to realization. The other is the perpetuation of a class system dividing an elite, nominally ‘gifted’ few, tracked from an early age, from a very large underclass essentially to be written off as alienated from language and science, from poetry and politics, from history and hope—toward low-wage temporary jobs. The second is the direction our society has taken. The results are devastating in terms of the betrayal of a generation of youth. The loss to the whole of society is incalculable.” (p. 162)
Starting with the politically corrupt A Nation in Risk in 1983 [1], political leaders partnered with the corporate elite to drive the public away from universal public education committed to democracy and human agency and toward "the perpetuation of a class system" that serves the state, a corporate state.
Today, a decade after the commitment was codified as NCLB, universal public education is dead [2] and what we have now is the rise of state schools
Three related pieces: Accountability and U.S. Public Education
by P. L. Thomas
Thomas, P. L. (2012, January 17). Universal public education is dead: The rise of state schools. Daily Kos.
-----. (2012, January 15). Accountability without autonomy is tyranny. Daily Kos.
-----. (2012, January 14). Organizations, no, community, yes: MLK Jr. Day 2012. Daily Kos.
