A Beacon of Hope

Despite the division and turmoil that currently plagues our nation, I believe that what the authors said two decades ago in the introduction to The Power of Public Engagement: A Beacon of Hope for America’s Schools still rings true today:  “While the public schools are the focus of this book, what we (some of Ohio’s leading educators) have written has broad implications for all public institutions.  In Ohio, where much of the money for the public schools comes from local tax levies, we are being forced, out of necessity, to think differently in order to reconnect our schools.  In challenging the conventional wisdom of our profession, we have entered a world we never knew existed.  To our pleasant surprise, it is a friendly world full of people who not only care about their public schools and the children who attend them, but who also care about those of us who are being asked to lead those schools.  As you will see, this book is not just about what is happening in Ohio; it is about what can and must happen throughout our nation.  It is about bringing out the basic good in people.  It is about understanding and caring, and the importance of the human spirit.  But, most important, this book is about America and the many people who believe in our future and want to help make a difference.”