Who will be the players in administering and overseeing such a structure?
MH: In a democracy such as ours, legislators usually listen for and respond to the messages from their constituents. As we (and they) know, however, a key element in this issue is results. Legislators will be less concerned with who produces results or how they are produced than with proof. The ability to think creatively, analytically, and abstractly, the most important skills, are not easily measured. We must get more sophisticated in our skill at measuring such abilities. One direction the public, and thus the legislators, are increasingly willing to experiment with are alternative methods of education and alternative providers. At the K 12 level, I see a significant increase in phenomena like charter schools and proprietary institutions contracting with local school districts to provide education. Private vendors will offer programs at the postsecondary level as well. Most of these programs will be certificate-based rather than degree-based. It is relatively easy to award a certifi
