An Aristocracy of Everyone. The Politics of Education and the Future of America.

This book argues that rather than pursuing a debate defined by controversy over who should be taught, what should be taught, and how it should be paid for, Americans must address education for what it is: the well-spring of democracy in the United States. Education must emphasize democracy as much as it does the pursuit of excellence. By doing this, young Americans will gain an apprenticeship in liberty--one grounded in a renewed commitment to community service. This approach is presented as a means of providing Americans with the literacy to live in a civil society and the competence to participate in democratic communities, while promoting excellence in education that will maintain America's economic, technical, and political preeminence in a rapidly changing world. It shows that education offers the only path toward rebuilding and reinvigorating the United States, and that this is a path that must now be followed. (GLR)