Schools should be places of joy and excitement that enliven the mind, quicken curiosity and empower students to reach their highest potential.  They should be places of respect and fairness where everyone has an equal chance.  They should prepare students to meet an unknown future with confidence and enthusiasm.

Sadly many our our schools today, because of mechanistic curriculum, a lack of equity in resources and a backward looking philosophy, fail to provide these things.

Anything short of meeting this goal will leave our nation at risk- not at risk in an economic sense, but at risk of not being the vibrant democratic society envisioned by our founding fathers who recognized and supported the idea of public education as the bedrock of a democratic community.

Paul Houston is executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.