This blog is written as an open letter to school superintendents.
Dear Superintendent,
How are you and your district navigating these rapidly changing times? Are things “humming along,” or are you noticing the cracks in parent and public perceptions that may be signaling far bigger change is on the horizon? I hope you’ve already started to sense it—that what used to work, even just a few years ago, may no longer hold up. Because here’s the truth: public education is not in a state of equilibrium. It’s in the middle of seismic change.
As leaders of public education systems, we are being called to pay attention to the undeniable shift in how the public views the purpose of education, their expectations for it, and how they want their children to be educated. Ignoring these shifts isn’t just risky—it’s catastrophic. As Lenin once said, “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” Right now, public education is living through those weeks.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The Purpose of Education Index by Populace provides us with a window into what our communities truly value in education. Unlike traditional surveys, this report uncovers people’s private priorities—what they actually want for their children—not the societal priorities they believe others want. This distinction is crucial because it reveals deep misalignments between the system we’re running and the expectations of the communities we serve. And it is important to note that the people surveyed are regular, everyday people, like the people in your communities!
A “Wow” graphic:
I certainly do not look at the survey result with sorrow. I believe there is an incredible opportunity to make the changes necessary in public education. After all, 21% of people think “everything should change.”
The Numbers
The survey aims to get at the actual private opinions of people, not what they believe the public opinion is on an issue. Here is the explanation of their methodology from the report:
The primary survey component was a choice-based conjoint (CBC) instrument that distinguishes between personal priorities and perceived societal priorities (what respondents believe most other people prioritize). Rather than directly asking respondents what priorities they hold for the K-12 education system in America, this survey’s CBC simulated real-world decision-making by forcing respondents to make trade-offs. This not only reduces the ceiling effect, where respondents can claim everything is important but also minimizes social desirability effects.
In effect, the survey tracks two components: 1) what the public believes other people’s opinions are on public education and 2) what their actual opinion is on important education issues.
The results should put a sense of urgency in your step as you head to work today.
The survey tracked 57 items about public education and determined what people’s private opinions were about the 57. These 57 were then ranked from highest to lowest in importance. Remember, the rankings reflect people’s private opinions, not what they believe other people’s opinions are…this is an important distinction that we will delve deeper into later.
The “cheat sheet” of the key takeaways from the report.
Key Takeaways from the Purpose of Education Index
- A New Focus on Practical Skills
The American public has made its priorities clear: practical, life-ready skills are paramount. From personal finance management to goal-setting and career readiness, these tangible outcomes were ranked far above traditional objectives like college preparation. In fact, college readiness fell to 47th place on the priority list—stark evidence of the public’s desire for a system better aligned with real-world needs. - Individualized Learning as a Necessity
Families no longer view the one-size-fits-all model as viable. Americans strongly favor personalized education, where students progress based on mastery rather than time spent in a seat. Offering choice, flexibility, and unique support for each learner isn’t a luxury—it’s now seen as fundamental to preparing students for their futures. - Bridging the Perception Gap
The data also revealed a “collective illusion”—many believe others still value traditional metrics (like college prep) while privately prioritizing life skills and character development. This gap signals an urgent need for leaders like you to foster authentic dialogue with your communities, ensuring alignment between your district’s goals and the public’s expectations.
The following chart lists the top 16 items ranked privately by the public in order of importance.
These rankings are very interesting.
Just look at the number one priority: “Students develop practical skills (e.g., manage personal finances, prepare a meal, make an appointment).” Other than having one class somewhere in high school, how well do we meet this need for parents?
I also find #3 interesting. When you read the report, you will find that our public wants more than “character education” classes a few times in the student’s career (which some believe is indoctrination anyway.) What they expect is that the entire system of public education reflects in its actions and purpose “character.” Hmm…
Now, let’s focus on what parents say about academics. #4 and #8 (which I was surprised it was this high), and #15 are what we call “academics.” Interestingly, proficiency was not mentioned as important. Instead, they said, “Knowledge of”… Again, interesting.
Finally, let’s look at the expectations for HOW education is delivered. You can’t read this list without being Godsmacked by “the public” who believes “competency-based education” is the best method for schools to use. #5 and #13 bring the importance of competency-based education home.
It is interesting to reflect on what is on the list, but it is also important to reflect on what is not on the list. A little hint is given in this chart where #40 is listed as not being very important. “Wow” is what I wrote in my notes when I first read this report.
Remember, there are 57 items that are ranked. We have looked at the top 16. How do those compare to the bottom part of the list?
Can we soak in #39, #49, and #55? Privately, the people in our communities do not believe these are important attributes of education. The scary part is that these traits serve as the FOUNDATION for how we operate schools and reflects a broader district of public institutions. The ramifications for public education of this misalignment are what is unsettling all of us right now.
The section of the report that I found most interesting was something called “collective illusions.” The report explains collective illusions in this way:
Understanding private priorities about the purpose of the K-12 education system reveals what Americans genuinely want K-12 schools to be focused on when it comes to educating students. In contrast, understanding perceived societal priorities reveals what we believe most people desire from the K-12 education system — outcomes and priorities that are perceived to be important, but which may not in fact be supported by private views and priorities of individuals. This section highlights some of the greatest gaps between personal priorities and perceived societal priorities — so-called collective illusions — related to K-12 education.
In other words, when there is a large discrepancy between what people think the rest of society wants and what they really believe is important, there is a collective illusion.
Three Collective Illusions
1. Most Americans do not prioritize college, but they think most Americans do.
There is a 44-place ranking difference between what people think the rest of society believes about the importance of college and what they actually believe is important! I say again, WOW!
2. Meaningful work. As explained in the report:
Even though Americans privately want an education system that prepares children to do work that is personally meaningful and fulfilling (#14), they believe it is among the bottom-half of society’s priorities for the K-12 education system (#36). In other words, while Americans personally place value on an education system that prepares students for meaningful work, they believe the rest of society does
not share their priority.
3. The desire for a one size fits all education is an illusion.
In the face of overwhelming demand for an individualized educational system, Americans think most people still prefer a one-size-fits-all approach — but this is a collective illusion. Privately, the general population revealed they prioritize an education system where all students have the option to choose the courses they want to study based on interests and aspirations (#9) and they get whatever amount of time they need to learn a new concept or skill at their own pace (#13). Yet it is generally believed that society rejects those educational elements, especially flexibility in learning pace (#52 perceived societal).
The takeaway from the discussion of collective illusions is that Americans underestimate how important their priorities are for education because they believe society does not share those priorities. In fact, the collective illusions show us that there is consensus privately in our communities about the purpose of education and how the education should be delivered.
Rearranging the chairs on the Titanic
You, Mister or Miss Superintendent, have to ask yourself this question:
“Are the priorities in my school right now just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic?”
Knowing the community wants to have an individualized education that helps students build character and skills to work in their local community (or wherever they choose to live), are you meeting those needs…because they are what your community wants?
Parents believe schools must meet these expectations, or they will find other education settings for their children. According to Tyton Partners, American families spent $82 billion on core school experiences beyond school before the pandemic. You have to figure that number has only increased since the pandemic. The bottom line is that parents are not only demanding that their child’s education be more enriching, but they are putting their money where their mouths are.
In Pennsylvania, there are 60,000 students in cyber school right now. According to an article in Chalkbeat, another cyber charter is waiting to hear from PDE whether their charter will be accepted. This particular charter school will use AI extensively and operate under the theory of “2-hour learning.”
An extensive quote from the article is important to digest:
“Student lesson plans built and personalized by artificial intelligence. Just two hours of classes daily. Frog dissections, defusing bombs, and ascents of Mount Everest — all in virtual reality. And teachers who transform from traditional instructors into “guides.”
That’s the vision MacKenzie Price has for a new cyber charter school in Pennsylvania. In Price’s telling, her AI-powered model turbo-charges students’ academic performance so much that they — and their guides — are free to spurn traditional classes for several hours of the school day and pursue other enriching activities instead. The tech entrepreneur says her program will revolutionize education, and she says she has the numbers to back it up.”
Now that we know where the priorities for education actually are in our communities, the question is not “How can we fight this cyber school?” it should be, “How will we incorporate more flexible, practical learning environments in our school?” And please do not have the knee-jerk reaction that “the system” prevents us from doing it…that is an excuse that is represented by 60,000 students enrolled in cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania.
You see, we have a choice as school leaders. We can recognize the seismic shift in expectations from our community, or we can continue to shift the chairs on the Titanic and argue what we are doing now is what people want.
I am afraid school leaders are so focused on “beating” cyber charter and charter schools that we will win the battle with charters but lose the war for providing the best education demanded by our communities. The people that we “lose” may very well be the people who want to support us the most…if we provide a little bit of what they expect.
Pennsylvania has created the changes necessary to allow flexibility in education. In 2016, the change was made away from the Carnegie Unit so we can provide flexibility in how courses are delivered. Funny enough, the Carnegie Foundation, which created the Carnegie Units years ago, is not spending money to encourage schools to move away from the Carnegie Unit!
Have you made efforts to move away from the Carnegie Unit?
What initiatives do you have in play in your school right now that will bring more individualized education that focuses on practical skills without relying on the collective illusions a possibility?
A Call to Leadership
You are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation. But it requires a willingness to challenge entrenched practices and ask hard questions:
Are we truly listening to our communities, or are we assuming we know what they want?
How are we embedding practical skills, character development, and personalized learning into our schools—not as extras, but as essentials?
Are we embracing the flexibility allowed under Pennsylvania’s shift away from the Carnegie Unit, or are we clinging to outdated structures?
Superintendent, the stakes couldn’t be higher. This moment isn’t about tweaking around the edges or maintaining the status quo. It’s about rethinking the very purpose of public education to align with the aspirations of the families we serve.
I know change of this magnitude is daunting. But the good news is this: our communities want the same things we do—engaged learners, strong character, and preparation for meaningful lives. If we align with their priorities, we won’t just save public education. We’ll revolutionize it.
The question is: will we act in time?