January 31, 2007 2:41 PM

By now, most of you have probably already gotten wind of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce report, “Tough Choices or Tough Times.” This report calls for fundamental changes to our public education system, arguing that nothing short of a complete overhaul will prepare our students for the demands of a changing world. A recent edition of Education Week features dueling commentaries about the report--Given the stakes of this discussion, these commentaries are well worth a read.

In case you haven't yet seen the report, its recommendations include a call to reorient local school boards as monitors of independent contractors in lieu of their traditional roles as governing bodies. Other suggestions include increased teacher pay, state funding of public schools, and a radical reorientation of secondary schools, where the bulk of students graduate after 10th grade, while particularly high achievers remain for an extra two years to be tacked into the nation’s most competitive colleges.

In his EdWeek commentary, Marc Tucker, president of NCEE (which released the report), claims that “bad systems are now defeating good educators everywhere.” He maintains that today’s public education system will not allow future American workers to compete with higher skilled international workers willing to work for lower wages.

By contrast, esteemed education historian Diane Ravitch savages the report, calling it an “ill-conceived document,” lambasting most of its specific suggests for reform. For instance, she calls attention to the, at best, spotty track record of independent contractors, arguing instead that school governance should stay in the hands of school boards. She also notes that curricular and instructional suggestions are notably absent from NCEE's vision of the future.

You can have a look at these commentaries here and here. (If you select these links, you may be prompted to register with Education Week.)