THEEDUCATION
CRISIS:
BUSINESS
AND
GOVERNMENT SROLE
IN
REFORM
by
CARLETON
S
FtIORINA
A B
Stanford
University
(1976)
M B A
University
of
Maryland
(1980)
Submitted
to
the
Alfred
P.
Sloan
School
of
Management
in
Partial
Fulfillmentofthe
Requiremellts
forthe
Degree
of
MASTEROF
SCIENCEIN
MANAGEMENT
at
the
MASSACHUSETTS
INSTITUTE
OF
TECHNOLOGY
June
1989
@
Carleton
S.
Fiorina,
1989.
AllRights
Reserved
The
author
hereby
grants
to
M.I.T.
permission
to
reproduceand
to
distribute
copies
of
this
thesis
document
in
whole
orin
part
/
SIGNATURE
OF
UT OR_~~~~~
~
__
Alfred
P.
Sloan
'Schoo
of
anag ement
May,
1989
CERTIFIED
BY:
_..-..-..-.....--._----.+----------------
John
E.
VanMaanen
Professor,
Organizational
Psychology
and
Management
Thesis
Supervisor
tfIIII K
Ala?
F.White
Associate
Dean
for
Executive
Ed\lcation
MASs \CHUsms
INSTITUT
OFTECHNOlOGV
JUN
8
1989
U R RIfS
ARCHIVES
ACCEPTEDBY:
1fI~
~
THEEDU TION
CRISIS:
BUSINESS
ND
GOVER~mENT S
ROLE
IN
REFORM
RLETON
S
FIORIN
Submitted
to
the
Alfred
Pa
Sloan
School
of
Management
on
May
3
1989
in
partial
fulfillment
ofthe
requirements
forthe
Degree
of
Master
of
Science
in
Management
STR CT
Educators
policy
makers
and
corporate
America
seem
to
agree
that
our
education
problems
have
reached
crisis
proportions
lately.
Never
before
have
educational
issues
received
EO
much
media
attention
or
visible
corporate
support.
Despite
this
attention
the
vastness
and
complexity
of
educational
issues
confound
simple
analysis.
The
objective
of
this
thesis
is
to
develop
an
intelligent
and
comprehensive
framework
within
which
to
understand
and
evaluate
education
problems
as
wellas
proposed
solutions
The
thesis
is
comprised
of
three
main
parts.
Chapter
II
examines
the
facts
which
lie
behind
our
current
perception
of
crisis
and
demonstrates
that
our
educational
problems
areof
a
consistent
and
long
term
nature
hapt~rs
III
and
IV
provide
an
analysis
ofthe
fundamental
political
social
and
cultural
realities
which
underlie
the
American
approach
to
education
as
well
as
the
governing
assumptions
whi ch
have
directed
our
reform
efforts
throughout
the
last
century
The
intent
is
to
focuson
the
real
causes
of
educational
failures
rather
than
their
symptoms
with
this
analysis
as
background
Chapters
V
and
VI
contain
the
author s
assessment
of
the
roles
which
both
business
andgovernmenthave
played
in
educational
reform
to
date
and
recommend
the
typesof
activities
which
are
likelyto
be
of
most
benefit.
Thesis
Supervisor:
Dr
John
E
Van
Maanen
Title:
Professor
of
Organizational
Psychology
and
Management
-2-
•
KNOWLEDGEMENTS
The
author
wishes
to
thank
homas homsen
and
John
Van aanen
for
their
invaluable
support
and
encouragement
Special
thanks
also
go
to
Tracy
and
Lori
whomade
me
think
about
secondary
education
1n
the
first
place
and
to
my
husband
Frank
without
whom
none
of
this
would
have
n
possible