**Labaree, D. L. (2018). Public schools for private gain: The declining American commitment to serving the public good. Phi Delta Kappan, 100 (3), 8–13. https://kappanonline.org/labaree-public-schools-private-gain-decline-american-commitment-public-good/
This piece argues that the meaning of “public” in public education has become increasingly unclear in a modern education system where public, charter, and private institutions overlap in funding, governance, and access. It also argues that schooling historically served as a collective good, promoting citizenship and societal prosperity, but has gradually shifted toward a private good focused on the individual’s advancement and social mobility. This change over time has intensified competition, reinforced social inequality, and encouraged families to prioritize personal educational advantages over broader societal benefits. Ultimately, Labaree warns that this shift undermines the civic purpose of education and threatens the role of schools in fostering an equitable and cohesive society.
Kober, N., Rentner, D. S., & Ferguson, M. (2020). For the common good: Recommitting to public education in a time of crisis. Center on Education Policy at the George Washington University. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED606967.pdf
This piece was written during the COVID-19 pandemic and argues that public schools serve a critical role in a functioning democracy, even when (perhaps especially when) school doors are closed. The authors list several reasons why having a public schooling system is important to both individuals and societies at large, such as enhancing civic learning and giving essential community support functions. The authors contend that the pandemic can serve as an opportunity for building stronger support for public education system and calls for readers to recommit to public education as a shared social good during and after the crisis.
Tyack, D. B., & Cuban, L. (1995). Policy cycles and institutional trends. In Tinkering toward utopia: A century of public school reform (pp. 40–47). Harvard University Press.
An early part of this chapter presents some of the conflicting purposes of education that we will examine during Session I of our meeting. The rest of the chapter examines other apparent contradictions in educational reform between steady, regular progress and progress that comes in cycles or swings. While schools have evolved over time, debates about education historically revisit similar themes that reflect shifting priorities and societal concerns rather than true repetition. The authors believe these cycles come from enduring conflicts in democratic society, such as tensions between equality and competition or centralized versus decentralized control.
**This document is a priority reading.