Preface

The purpose of this book is to create a greater awareness of American education and its impact upon the affairs of our nation’s schools. More specifically, it is intended to provide our citizenry basic understanding of what needs to be done to restore our nation to the special place it was supposed to be; and more importantly, what it was meant to be. Upon completion of the book everyone should have a clearer idea of what needs to be done and how to do it.

While most books of this kind tend to be either academic or personal in nature, this one will be neither. The format and style will be extremely direct and pragmatic in scope. Nothing should be left to doubt or equivocation even though lingering debate may continue to exist. The author feels strongly that the current debate in education is counterproductive and serves to exacerbate problems that should have been resolved years ago.

It took decades for this book to be written. The very idea of writing a book today is not like it was before. Books today do not have the clout or influence they once had rendering it virtually impossible for any message to seriously resonate upon others. Quite simply, there are too many books out there to make an impact. The issue is far worse with respect to books of a more informative nature, particularly those in education. It is almost impossible for the printed word to pop out as it should. The author recognizes this and hopes that the message portrayed here will reach out to the American people. The book is an embodiment of observation made over the course of a lifetime in education.

What perhaps makes this book different from others is the fact that the author by virtue of happenstance has experienced just about every facet of the business of education. He has been a student, teacher, administrator, and teacher-education professor and has the unique distinction of working for the United States Department of Defense in an educational capacity. Each of these experiences brought with them a profound understanding of the American education system. Together, these experiences helped to form a deep, penetrating understanding of American education and what may be needed to prepare our citizenry for the period ahead.

Marvin Kopit2011