FROM THE EDITORS

The human capacity to learn -- and our determination to do so -- propels much of our daily existence. It is for that reason that in a civilized society, education invariably is one of the preeminent passions and concerns. The content of our education, and the extent to which we make use of it, marks us as a community and as a nation.

The United States has had a strong commitment to education from colonial times. Over the years, since its founding and expansion in the 19th century, the free public school system has been the great assimilator, embracing generation after generation of new immigrants, and providing them with skills and knowledge, and in the process access and upward mobility within society. For the most part, that system -- and the decision-making accompanying it -- has been maintained and enhanced at the local and state level, according to principles of government first outlined in the U.S. Constitution more than 200 years ago. A considerable amount of effort, commitment, imagination and -- yes -- fierce debate is attributable to average citizens, from the inner cities to rural environs, who revel in the democratic process.

As this new century unfolds, questions as to how education can be improved, or should evolve, are high on the national, state and local agendas, in the public and private sectors alike. Business men and women, the media, parents and politicians, among others, weigh in on the issues at hand. Today, choice and standards-based reform, safety in schools, the uses of technology in education, community service, character-building, inclusion and the recruitment and training of a teacher cadre for the next generation are among the matters that are on the minds of most American citizens.

This journal presents a portrait of the current U.S. primary and secondary education landscape, offering resources for further exploration of the subject. The themes the various articles explore, when taken together, reflect a nation that honors accessibility in its educational system and benefits from its substance, even as citizens seek imaginative ways of resolving familiar and unanticipated challenges.