January 24, 1996

The Educational Testing Service announced last week that it is launching a for-profit subsidiary for the first time in its 49-year history.

As an American abroad and working in the field of political-education reform in Central and Eastern Europe, I have been following the conversations about U.S. civics education--or, more precisely, education for democracy--with great interest over the past year. I am struck by the liveliness of the discussions taking place simultaneously in both "the West" (including the United States and Western Europe) and "the East"--even as many of us concerned confess that much of what countries conduct in the area of civics has been ad hoc and of low priority compared with other educational issues.

Days before Washington hosted the "Million Man March" and the National African-American Leadership Summit last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice released a report showing that one-third of the African-American men between the ages of 20 and 29 are in the criminal-justice system, either in prison, in jail awaiting trial, on probation, or paroled. Unfortunately, America's schools helped put many of them where they are.

In this lush farm region of Central Louisiana, lemonade is more than a cool drink on a hot summer day. It's a metaphor for economic recovery.

"Mommy, mommy, I found a castle," a breathless Max Cantlupe cries out as he tracks down his mother and escorts her to a cozy corner of the store. There, as promised, is a kid-sized fortress where the preschool set can play and surround themselves with the books that someday will transport them to distant planets, ancient Greece, or maybe inside the wondrous world of worms.