Schools and the System

By Sandra A. Waddock

Throughout the country there are subtle signs that the barriers that have traditionally been erected between schools and the rest of the community are slowly, tentatively, and uncertainly being broken down. Faced with the reality that the U.S. educational system is producing graduates who cannot compete adequately with graduates of other industrialized nations' educational systems, school officials, business leaders, local officials, and other interested parties have begun attempts to work together, rather than independently. In doing the work of systemic reform, these leaders have begun the long-term and difficult process...