How Public Are America’s Public Schools?

Publicization author Jonathan Gyurko hosts fireside chat alongside Rhode Island Education Collective Founder & CEO Victor Capellan. Watch a video of the conversation here. 

How public are America’s public schools? That was the question on the table when the Collective recently hosted Publicization author and renowned education leader Jonathan Gyurko for a conversation about the urgent need for unified approaches to create a more inclusive and effective public education system. 

Before an engaged audience that included school leaders, members of the General Assembly, and community advocates, Gyurko offered his perspective on the exclusionary practices and policies present in our education system. He and Rhode Island Education Collective Founder & CEO Victor Capellan then engaged in a dialogue on a wide range of topics including the impact of market-based policies, exclusionary governance, insufficient funding, and structural inequities on our schools.  

“This call to action is clear, there must be changes to our public education, we must engage in robust dialog, ensuring all voices are heard, especially those that have been historically marginalized,” Capellan said.  “It’s crucial to recognize that many schools we may consider public do not fully meet the criteria of being genuinely public.” 

Gyurko urged participants to engage in a mindset that shifts away from the charter vs. public school mentality, and rather promotes civic activism and democratic accountability. 

 “I can speak with some authority about how it applies to our issues of education and how we have been living in a world framed by competing interests instead of common interests. Because our democracy is shared and enjoyed to everyone's benefit, it is a functioning democracy is, or should be, un-excludable, contributing workers so that everyone has an opportunity,” Gyurko said. “No one is excluded from the American dream. The educators in the room will know that the very first schools of education were called normal schools to prepare teachers in the norms that students should develop to be good neighbors in our diverse society.” 

Rhode Island Education Collective believes acknowledging the diverse needs and experiences of our students and then working collaboratively to find solutions is the path forward. Our approach is centered on creating a safe and open space for dialog where everyone's voices are heard and respected. By fostering empathy, understanding, and a willingness to listen, we can create positive change that benefits all students.