This is a study of the perceptions, philosophies, purpose, and effectiveness of public education in Bermuda. It includes a purposeful sample of Bermuda leaders in education, government, business, and public life. I prepared a series of questions that I used as an interview guide to obtain the opinions of participants in the study. Most participants did not provide specific information about the official philosophy, major purposes, or specific educational outcomes of the public education system since its restructuring began in 1987. Many indicated their frustration about the lack of such basic data as enrollment, graduation, and dropout rates. Nearly all interviewees (except those staff members from the Ministry of Education) agreed that the effectiveness of public schools has declined dramatically in recent years. Other findings include: Leadership in the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education has been bureaucratic and incompetent; Governmental funding of public schools has been very high, but much money has been wasted; Some public middle and secondary school principals have performed poorly, at least partly because of inadequate leadership and communication from the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education; Major problems exist regarding curriculum misalignment, teachers’ qualifications and performance, services of school counselors, lack of parental involvement in the schools, and classification and instruction of students with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities; and Major changes are needed to overcome existing problems, including dismissal of the least effective individuals in the Department of Education and in individual schools
