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If you ask George Wood, the federal role in public education is out of whack. His concern: The feds have meddled with teaching and learning--not exactly their strong suit--and forgotten their traditional role as guarantors of education equity.

As executive director of the Forum for Education and Democracy, Wood has been working with leading education luminaries to call for changes to the federal role. The fruits of this work appear in the Forum's report, Democracy at Risk, which offers recommendations for more constructive federal involvement in public schools.

Wood, who is principal of the ironically named "Federal Hocking High School" in rural Ohio, recently spoke with us about some of these recommendations. (These recommendations resemble the recommendations LFA offers in its own recent report on the federal role in public education.)

Download the entire interview here or listen to about six minutes of interview highlights:

A transcript of these highlights appears below.

Alternatively, you can download the following ...

Yesterday, education blogger Corey Bower challenged the received truth that U.S. Education spending has skyrocketed:

[W]hile education spending in the U.S. appears to have skyrocketed over the past 85 years, it has actually shrunk as a ratio of wealth over the past 25.... [R]eal per-pupil expenditures almost doubled between 1980 and 2005, but real per capita [Gross Domestic Product] nearly quadrupled during that same timespan....  In other words, even though we're spending more money on education we're spending a lower percentage of our wealth on education.

Public schools have not enjoyed a full share in the fruits of economic growth. Let's hope that they--and the children they serve-won't experience more than their fair share of the nation's financial distress. ...

As Americans swoon over Finland's celebrated education system, we often forget about another high achiever just to our North: Canada. Canada scores among the top three countries in PISA assessments of 15-year-olds' reading literacy and science.

What are the reasons for this success? Canadian education leader Dr. Raymond Théberge believes they include Canada's commitment to education equity and its strong support for struggling schools. He also credits the country's general dedication to the health and well-being of its children and families: "We cannot expect the schools to solve all of our society's problems."

We recently spoke with Dr. Théberge, who in 2005 became Director General of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). (In Canada, responsibility for education rests entirely with the thirteen provinces and territories. The CMEC helps provincial education ministries collaborate with one another and the federal government on strategies for improving Canadian schools.)

You can download our entire 17-minute conversation here (a transcript of highlights appears below).

Alternatively, you can listen ...

Just over a week ago, education blogger Corey Bower wondered whether a Barack Obama victory could narrow the achievement gap.  Among the reasons he cites: Obama could be a role model for African American students; Obama could unsettle traditional stereotypes that reinforce low achievement among students of color.

One possibility Bower's thoughtful and cautious analysis does not consider: Schools have an opportunity to use Obama's victory as a teachable moment. Without descending to partisan politics, schools can capitalize on a new sense of civic empowerment among students who, rightly or wrongly, have long felt disenfranchised.  In her recent Public School Insights interview, Harvard researcher Meira Levinson put it this way: ...