The first step in reforming public education is to understand the purpose of education.

Most public figures, especially politicians, mistakenly believe that the purpose of education is to prepare students to compete in the global economy. That is the purpose of job training. Job training and education must not be confused.

Another mistake made by the corporate, economic, political and  media elite who control public policy in America is to use public  education to prepare children for the rigid and powerful hierarchy  that dominates American society, particularly the economic system.  Of course, few elites would admit to this but public school is where they want the rest of us to "learn our place" in America’s increasingly inequitable society.

I have a different view of public education. Education is the never ending process of learning developmentally appropriate reading, writing and math skills to acquire the critical thinking skills needed to become a humane, productive, multi-talented and socially engaged citizen able to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate authority. Education and being a good citizen allows us to recognize, encourage and support legitimate authority while politely working to challenge and eliminate illegitimate authority.

This emphasis on citizenship is justified because good citizens make good students, neighbors, workers and parents.  Central to being a good citizen is the ability to mesh one's own development, desires and well-being with the greater good of society. It may be a simplification, but it is an accurate one:  Virtually all the problems of our society be they caused by government and corporate leaders or by the less powerful, are manifestations of the greed, deceit, selfishness and various forms of violence practiced by bad citizens.

Beyond the practical necessity of helping create good citizens  the purpose of education is to engender a life-long love of  learning, open-mindedness and the search for truth, meaning, beauty  and the creation of the ideal society.

To facilitate the critical thinking skills needed to be a good citizen I am proposing a high school graduation requirement that all students write an essay describing the ideal society and what role they might play in helping create that society. Throughout history societies of all kinds had ritualized rites of passage that marked the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It is one of the weaknesses of our society that we do not have healthy rites of passage. Writing an ideal society essay and sharing it with others will restore the valuable tradition of a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood.

By the above comments one might rightly conclude that I do not support high stakes, standardized testing. These tests are supported by political and other elites because it permits them, under the guise of caring about children, to begin to assign children "their place" in America's social, economic and political hierarchy. 

Testing for age or developmentally appropriate competency has a place. But such testing must become a tool to help students, teachers and schools, not a way to label, stigmatize and punish them.

Among the other great mistakes of public education is the failure to provide daily physical exercise and artistic opportunities. The evidence that physically and artistically active children have fewer behavior problems and are better students and citizens is overwhelming. Politicians claim that providing facilities and staff for the arts and physical education is too costly. Ironically, though not surprisingly, these same  politicians stumble over themselves in a rush to support corporate  welfare and other give aways to the elite, including using public  money to build facilities for pro sports teams. Granting the wishes of the corporate and economic elite rather than meeting the basic needs of the general public has become a habit for most politicians. I will not make that mistake.

Providing every child a well-rounded education, including ongoing opportunities in the arts and physical education, is a hallmark of an enlightened society. And if one has any foresight, creating a first-rate system of public education is common sense in action. In all policies foresight, enlightenment, common sense and concern for the greater good will guide my administration.