America’s
schools
need
a
paradigm.
new
How public are America’s public schools?
They may be tax funded and free, but market-based policies, exclusionary governance, insufficient funding, and structural inequities impair schools’ ability to prepare citizens, workers, neighbors, and stewards of the planet.
Publicization shows what must be done to strengthen the shared aims of public schools.
This achievable roadmap can move the country beyond decades of educational privatization. Novel insights explain how even controversial issues can be part of a broad “Publicization Project.”
Publicization is a hopeful vision of what it can mean to be an educated American and how to get there.
Praise for Publicization
“Simultaneously passionate and pragmatic, Publicization is a rich exploration of why public schools are so valued and what it will take to make them live up to their promise in the face of direct and indirect threats. Gyurko knows what he’s talking about… in a way that is straightforward, engaging, compelling, and clear.”
—Jeffrey R. Henig, professor of political science and education, Teachers College, Columbia University
“Gyurko gives us some big principles [to] structure conversations about what it means to be truly public in k - 12 education... a really thoughtful book.”
—Jack Schneider, Dwight W. Allen Distinguished Professor and Director, Center for Education Policy, University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Gyurko argues that many public schools are less public than advocates may realize. His cases… shed light on [how to] create a system that is wholly public.”
—Christine Collins-Otto, senior administrator, Multnomah Education Service District, Portland Oregon
“A compelling, insightful, and eloquent assessment of one of America’s foremost public policy challenges: how do we strengthen the publicness of our schools? Gyurko’s insider account should be mandatory reading for educators, parents, policymakers, and elected officials alike…
“The time for a ‘Publicization Project’ is now!”
—Charlie Rose, former General Counsel, U.S. Department of Education
“Gyurko argues that virtually everything having to do with the running of schools could stand to be a whole lot more public… he offers concrete suggestions for how to expand their publicness.”
—Jennifer Berkshire, journalist and Bloch lecturer in Education Journalism, Yale University
“Thought provoking… based on extensive experience and deep engagement with key texts of philosophy, political science, and education policy.”
—Michael Q. McShane, director of national research at EdChoice and co-author of Getting Education Right with Frederick M. Hess
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"The Opposite of Privatization is Publicization"
“Have You Heard” Podcast
May 16, 2024
Market-based education reform may be on the wane, but what’s the alternative? Our guest, Jonathan Gyurko, author of the provocative new book Publicization, argues that public education advocates need to rally around a goal of making public schools as public as possible. That means changing the way we think about funding, governance, accountability–indeed, the very purpose of school. If we want to move beyond decades of privatization, says Gyurko, we need a hopeful vision of what schools could be.
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"What Does it Mean for a School to be Public?"
“BustEd Pencils” Podcast
June 4, 2024
How public are our public schools, really? Gyurko breaks it down with hosts Dr. Tim Slekar and Dr. Johnny Lupinacci. Gyurko defines publicization as the opposite of privatization - moving industries from the private to public domain - and uses the term to discuss a potential future for public schools in America. “A really great read!”
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"An Essential Introduction"
From Teachers College Press
March 2024
Champions of public education will find a compelling vision and achievable roadmap that moves the country beyond decades of privatization. Publicization is an essential introduction to major debates of past years with a hopeful vision of what it means to be an educated American.
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"How Do We Define Public?"
As reviewed in School Administrator
August 2024
"If privatization is the antithesis of public, how do we define public? Gyurko provides a definition and criteria to judge it... He treats both sides of the political spectrum with respect and positive assumptions, creating space for genuine dialogue about whether we really want public schools and how to get them."
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"An Admirable Appeal"
EdNext Review
August 6, 2024
I am glad I read Publicization. In a time of polemics and tweet-length arguments, someone taking the time and effort to fully articulate an alternative vision for our education system… is laudable. We would be much better off if this is how we ordinarily engaged with each other.
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"Illuminating"
EdWeek, “Straight Up with Rick Hess”
August 20, 2024
A key fault line in contemporary education is between those who see public schools as foundational to democracy and those who regard them as ineffectual and captive to union interests… Gyurko sets out to bridge this divide.
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"A Reinvigoration of Public Schools"
From Partner in Publishing Podcast
September 3, 2024
The intellectual tide of privatization is going out to sea. Today we're in the still waters between two tides. Publicization offers a word, language, and framework to take its place.
About the Author
Jonathan Gyurko (pronounced GUR-koh) holds a PhD in politics and education from Teachers College, Columbia University and was the inaugural Harber Fellow in Educational Innovation at Wesleyan University. From 2000 to 2014 he led education reform efforts for the New York City Department of Education, the United Federation of Teachers, the Coalition of Public Independent Charter Schools, and as a board member of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. He served as board secretary for DREAM Charter School and board vice president for the American Friends of Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana. He currently serves as president and co-founder of the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), which awards the only nationally recognized certification in effective college instruction. Gyurko attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar and began his career as a teacher at Tiger Kloof School in Vryburg, South Africa.
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