Public Agenda's Choicework Discussion Starters support dialogue and deliberation on a wide variety of issues. They have been used in thousands of community conversations, discussion groups and classrooms and by journalists, researchers, policymakers, community leaders, and individuals looking to better understand and discuss solutions to a variety…

The rationale for taking bold action on the nation's persistently failing schools can be summed up in one dramatic and disturbing statistic: half of the young Americans who drop out of high school attend just 12 percent of the nation's schools. Ending the cycle of failure at schools is a daunting challenge and a surprisingly controversial one.…

The op-ed page in the newspaper can be a good place to discuss opinions and ideas that the public needs to know, but which have been ignored by the media. For example, in 1983 a speech on educational research by William Spady of the United States Office of Education was given coverage by the news media. The news media described the speech and…

This packet of questionnaires and guides is designed to garner information about public opinion concerning policy for guiding the National Institute of Education's (NIE) curriculum activities. The following questions are focused on: (1) How should NIE define "curriculum"? (2) Should NIE help develop new curricula? (3) Should NIE evaluate…

An American Council on Education study reveals a substantial gap between what the public knows about higher education costs and financial aid and what Americans need to know to make sensible decisions and set sound public policy. This lack of knowledge creates anxiety, corrodes perceptions of higher education, leads to poor educational choices,…

Discusses the history of agricultural education and points out important advancements through the years. Provides a discussion of current problems facing agricultural education with special focus in the area of legislation. Describes the necessity and steps for personal--as well as professional--association involvement affecting policymaking. (LRA)

The principal aim of community work-education councils is to make the transition between the worlds of education and work more rational through a deliberative, collaborative process of public and private interests and initiatives. A cross section of the community must work together as peers in a flexible give and take spirit. Councils should avoid…