Dean's Perspective

Kathleen McCartney

Dear Alumni and Friends:

As you know, Harvard University President Lawrence Summers has asked me to serve as the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This is an offer I have enthusiastically accepted with great pride. When I began my service as acting dean in July 2005, I was well aware of the remarkable group of people that comprise the HGSE community. During the past year, it has been an honor to support the good work of faculty, staff, and students alike. In partnership with our friends and alumni, we make a difference in the lives of children every day.

As educators at every level will attest, there is no simple answer to the question of how to best educate our children. Different family situations, financial and intellectual capacities, social skills, and a host of other factors make it impossible to apply one-size-fits-all solutions to entrenched educational problems. At the same time, scarcity of time and fi nancial resources make it important to search for techniques that can work on a large scale.

This search for solutions that make an impact in school districts across the nation is among the most important responsibilities of the Ed School. Each and every day, students, faculty, alumni, and staff work tirelessly to define, research, and solve problems facing our schools.

Through this search for solutions, disagreements inevitably arise. Different techniques and perspectives often lead to diff erent approaches for solving problems. These debates are healthy and should be embraced. We may seek the same outcome, but we can differ on the best method for achieving that outcome. It is only by constantly questioning answers--and answering questions--that we will create evolutionary, and even revolutionary, improvements in schools.

This issue of Ed. magazine explores some of these great debates, and highlights a few of the issues that are vital to the future of public education.

The first feature, Desegregation Now, Segregation Tomorrow?, takes a critical look at school resegregation. Across the nation, districts--often due to court orders--are removing racial considerations as they populate schools. Some argue that desegregation is no longer necessary in today's society, while others fear a return to the days of separate and decidedly unequal education.

¿Habla Inglés? explores the challenge of teaching students for whom English is not their primary language. Some maintain that the best approach is to immerse these students in English-only classes. Proponents of the immersion approach have won referenda across the nation, but, opponents argue, success at the ballot box does not necessarily translate to success in the classroom.

The final feature, The Challenge Continues: High Standards for All Students, considers the accountability movement and the spread of high-stakes tests across the nation. Though most would support attempts to create more accountability in our schools, many feel that these initiatives raise significant problems, including narrowing the curriculum and creating perverse incentives for teachers and districts.

These stories do not, and cannot, address all aspects of these complicated questions. It is our hope that these features will serve as a jumping-off point for conversations about these, and other, vital issues in the world of education. Through healthy and open debate, solutions will follow.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McCartney
Dean of the Faculty of Education
Gerald S. Lesser Professor in Early Childhood Development

Photograph: Dina Konovalov, A Dream Picture