Higher Education and the Schools. Perspectives in Public Policy: Connecting Higher Education and the Public Schools.

Overview & Synopsis

This report reviews the status of K-12 reform, noting implications for higher education and examining the growing and infrequently noted parallels between the issues faced by K-12 school reformers and higher education. After an introduction, the first section, "Status of School Reform," discusses goals and standards, school-level learning, the professionalism imperative for preservice and inservice training, urban school reform, actual developments in K-12 reform, and school choice and market mechanisms as a countervailing force. The second section, "A New Compact," discusses how higher education and K-12 education can begin to reconsider the nature of their relationship. The third section, "A Modest Proposal," discusses what must be done to improve the relationships between higher education and K-12 education so that they can handle shared issues more effectively and strengthen the programs, policies, and politics of education at every level. (SM)