Ylvisaker dismisses the criticism he says faculty members and administrators of other graduate schools sometimes direct at the Ed School. "We're getting by on our own lights. If other people have a problem with that, I don't want a wasted effort to indulge in prestige battles."

Ylvisaker also defends the Ed School by pointing out its record on the enrollment and hiring of women and minorities. This year more than half of the student body is female, and minorities account for 18 per cent. At the Business School, by comparison, women comprise 25 per cent of the student body and minorities 9 per cent. Ylvisaker boasts that the hiring record of women and minority professors is also a "hell of a lot better than the rest of the University." The Ed School has six women and minority tenured professors, compared with four at the Law school and only two at the Business School. "Things happen first at the Education School, and perceived within the context of Harvard elite, it flies in the face of Harvard." Ylvisaker says. "Concerned choices that have been made here are the right choices."

Students also praise the efforts of having a diverse student body. "I think one of the best things about the Ed School is the other women I've met here." Cynthia A. Ingols, a doctoral student, says. "It's not that the women here aren't competitive, but there is a rare line of support and that's really positive. I've been in situations where the women are tokens, and it's not like that," Ingols adds.

Ylvisaker believes the leadership program, the high enrollment of women and minorities, and the commitment to urban schools are all part of a larger vision of a future educational system that incorporates advanced computer and communications technology.

"There has been a rapid increase in the culture of technology. People treat computers as if they are people." Ylvisaker says. "Learning could either be corrupted or it can be facilitated by this." If education emphasizes the problems of "minorities and newcomers." Ylvisaker believes that technology will not be available only to rich children.

Gerald Lesser, who helped create such legendary children's programming as Sesame Street and The Electric Company, teaches classes on the media at the Ed School. "What we do is find out how we can use TV and education and entertainment," he says, adding that "when you put something on TV, there's no opportunity to talk back and react. The new technology is videodiscs, playback and cable. You can set up a two-way interaction between the media and kids." Lesser says the Ed School and MIT may collaborate soon to set up media research and production facilities.

Despite the optimism about the future of public education and education schools, administrators acknowledge that a large number of people have doubts about public education. As part of a recent series about public education in Newsweek, a'Gallup poll showed that almost half of the respondents thought public schools were doing only a fair or poor job. Fifty-nine per cent said teachers should be better trained. But in the first sentence of its article. Newsweek acknowledged that "the odd thing is that the public schools are probably getting better."

Students, faculty and administrators at the Ed School say the Newsweek articles underscored the problems the public has distinguishing between their perceptions of public schools and the reality of public schooling. "It's a perception that schools are in trouble," Ylvisaker says. "Twenty-five per cent or less have kids in school, and those who have an interest in schools are not politically powerful."

Deal critizes the Newsweek articles for blaming the ubiquitous "they" for the problems of public education. "'They' are greedy, lazy, stupid, misguided, but I can never find 'them' when I go into schools. I find committed, beleaguered, inspired people who do the best they can to educate kids," Deal says, adding with a laugh. "I'm one of 'them,' and I'm not like that."