It takes a bit to get to it, but this article is built around recent survey research by a company called Populace using YouGov's "proprietary" panel, to argue that "the general public's top priorities for K–12 schools are: #1 practical skills (e.g., managing personal finances, preparing a meal, making an appointment), #2 thinking critically to problem solve and make decisions, and #3 demonstrating character (e.g., honesty, kindness, integrity, and ethics)." Maybe, maybe not; I have my doubts about both companies. Anyhow, Thomas Arnett argues that because schools today do not respond to these priorities, there's a need to develop an alternative 'value network' to smooth the way. Of course, the usual democratic process is no way to do this ("(our) priorities easily get diluted among all the other myriad priorities put on schools by all the other constituencies in their value networks"). You need an alternative private school system. This line of reasoning is to my mind deeply problematic. But we should pay attention because this is the sort of thinking coming from our elite higher education institutions.
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