“It is increasingly rare for public schools to be named after presidents – or people, in general – and increasingly common to name schools after natural features. This shift from naming schools after people worthy of emulation to naming schools after hills, trees, or animals raises questions about the civic mission of public education and the role that school names may play in that civic mission.
“Of almost 3,000 public schools in Florida, five honor George Washington, compared with eleven named after manatees.”
— From a Civic Report, written by Jay P Greene, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. He is also head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas.
