Defining the purpose of school is as a problem as wicked as any that we encounter in education. Many of the political discussions and debates are focused (either implicitly or explicitly) on negotiating the purpose of school, thus the structures and organizations that will accomplish that purpose. Ostensibly, all participants in these debates are focused on providing “what is best for learners,” but they a rarely are explicit about what they mean by that statement.
John Dewey, the well-known educator and philosopher, is credited with writing, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” I am a fan of Dewey and his work has influenced my own work in schools, and I agree with the sentiment captured in this quote, but I also believe that schools are fundamentally places where students develop greater capacity to participate in the economic, political, and cultural life of the society they will enter once they finish school.