America's schools

The editorial "Whittle-ing American Schools," June 1, questions Benno Schmidt's motives for moving from Yale to Chris Whittle's Edison Project to create new schools.

The goal of the Edison Project is the "reinvention of American education" - a goal which is needed, and the more people engaged in the effort, the better.

Whittle's project injects another element into the competition of ideas. He won't destroy public schools; he will energize changes in public education as its administrators and faculties understand the need to become so good that students will come to public schools instead of running away from them to other schools. Niels T. Anderson, Cedar Springs, Mich.

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