Putting an emphasis on learning.

• Author: Bostock, Roy

The mission of the nation's public schools always has been to en-sure that the children acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to function productively as citizens and workers. This mission has not changed, but its requirements have. For most of this century, it meant providing students with only basic skills and knowledge; relatively few were expected to master rigorous academic content, complete secondary school, or continue on to higher education.

This approach no longer is sufficient. Many analysts attribute the decline in the wages of low-skilled workers to increased use of technology and higher skill requirements in the workplace. If the U.S. is to raise living standards for all its citizens, Americans must be able to work with substantially greater knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, after more than a decade of education reform involving countless experiments, substantial funding increases, and endless rhetoric, educational achievement still lags behind what the nation requires.

In the past, much of the contribution of elementary education to economic growth has come from increases in the "quantity" of education. Although there still is room for improvement (about 15% of 24-25-year-olds do not have a high school diploma), much of the future contribution will have to come from increasing the "quality" of students graduating from high schools.

Yet, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that, in most subjects, students perform at about the same level as they did in the early 1970s. Among 17-year-olds, although a slight gain in reading has been measured in the past 20 years, no significant changes in writing or math skills have been found. Science scores are significantly lower than in 1970.

Although most students appear to master low-level skills, few show capacity for complex reasoning and problem-solving. These more advanced skills--asking them to apply what they learn in different situations--are becoming more important in a job market where flexibility, innovation, and adaptability are essential.

Recent and past international assessments repeatedly show that American students do not compare well in math and science with their counterparts in other countries. Although U.S. average reading performance tends to rank high internationally, not all American students are well-schooled in reading. While this may reflect the great economic and cultural diversity in the population, the nation no longer can afford to use diversity as an excuse not to raise the performance of all students to high achievement levels.

Americans are growing skeptical of "school reform," especially when it requires more of their tax dollars. Citizens are losing faith in the ability of schools to educate anyone, especially youngsters with social and cultural impediments to learning.

Such impediments are real and widespread. The American culture increasingly promotes instant gratification over hard work, discipline, and deferred benefit. The average student spends 12 times as much time watching television as reading for pleasure. Others work long hours at afterschool jobs, leaving them little time for schoolwork and reinforcing a peer culture wherein learning and achievement are less valued than immediate purchasing power.

Against this backdrop, can schools really

Mr. Bostock, chairman and CEO, Darcy, Masius, Benton & Bowles, Inc., New York, is chairman, Subcommittee on Education Governance, Management, and Organization, Committee for Economic Development, New York. make a difference in student achievement, especially for the disadvantaged? In spite of the prevailing skepticism, research has shown that institutions that value high academic standards and are organized to achieve them are successful, even after allowing for differences in student backgrounds. These successful schools share several common characteristics:

* A clear mission focused on academic learning

* High standards for achievement and a rich course content

* Teachers and principals who have control over the organization of their school and authority over its resources

* A principal who is a skillful manager and strong instructional leader

* Students who feel they are part of a community in which the adults reinforce positive values about learning and work

* Parents who support the school's mission, participate in its programs, and support their children's learning in the home.

In short, these schools are true "communities for learning," in which faculty, students, and parents shape a common educational vision and make learning and achievement their top priorities.

Although successful schools are more common in affluent communities, they can and do exist in less affluent and disadvantaged areas. A study contrasting inner-city Catholic schools, public magnet schools, and public comprehensive high schools in New York and Washington, D.C., found that the inner-city Catholic schools generally succeed because they have a focused mission, high standards, and committed parents. Public schools sharing these characteristics also flourish.

Keys to reform

Leadership and responsibility. School boards and state education departments often look for simple solutions to what, in reality, are complex issues. They may look at a list of "what makes schools effective" and, in a mechanical fashion, order schools to adopt those characteristics. For instance, a...