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Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert Read more

A New Earth (Oprah #61) Eckhart Tolle Read more

Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson Read more

» Linda Olsson discusses her second novel, how she became a full time writer later in life and the research she did for her novel about a composer from New Zealand uncovering family secrets.

» Read more about Sonota for Miriam

Linda Olsson, Sonata for Miriam, Podcast

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In the midst of the culture wars that swirl around schools; the fractious, intractable school politics; the drumbeat of economic competitiveness; and the testing, testing, testing - in the midst of all this, it is easy to lose sight of the broader purpose and grand vision of the common public school.

The economic motive has always been a significant factor in the spread of mass education in the United States, and as someone from the working class who has achieved financial mobility from schooling, the importance of the link between education and economic well-being is not lost on me.

But this economic focus can restrict our vision of what school ought to be about: the full sweep of growth and development, for both individuals and for a democratic society. This narrowing of discourse, this pinching of what we talk about when we talk about school, is evident in the national and regional discussions of the goals of education.