Complete Coverage

E Pluribus ... A Tale of Three Systems

By Howard Gardner

One can debate whether a straight line can be drawn between the release of A Nation at Risk in 1983 and the signing of the federal No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. But at least in one respect, these two documents are of a piece. Both assert that the United States faces a serious educational problem, and both maintain that the problem needs to be addressed by the nation as a whole.

From one perspective, this stance seems reasonable. With some exceptions, most countries—including those seen as effective in education—adopt a uniform approach to education. At first blush, it follows that the United States should adopt a solution that encompasses the whole country.