The Institute supports conferences, research, publications and scholarly discussion highlighting the need for high-quality Career and Technical Education, capable of engaging students more deeply in their classwork and to prepare them for college and career after high school.
In a democracy, one of the primary missions of public schooling must be the preparation of a well informed and engaged citizenry. The youngsters in our schools are not just "other people's children" and someone else's concern. They are also the fellow citizens who will help shape the future and the nation that our children will inherit.
The knowledge and skills that children gain in their early childhood are crucial to their long-term academic success, making quality early childhood educational experiences especially urgent for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who often begin school already behind.
The Albert Shanker Institute pursues the mission of improving the public education system by promoting discussions, supporting publications and sponsoring research on new and workable approaches to ensuring that all public schools are good schools.
A school is a complex, dynamic system and not just a building with people inside. School improvement efforts require that we understand the contextual factors that support or impede change. The Institute is pursuing three programs focusing on the context of schools, particularly its socio-cultural dimension.
The emergence of the global knowledge economy has placed new and challenging demands on U.S. education. In order to prepare our citizens for 21st century jobs and to deepen their engagement in the rigorous coursework that these jobs entail, we need to ensure that our secondary and post-secondary educational institutions provide high-quality career and technical education.