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Whither American Education?

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

American University

For those in the D.C. area, don’t miss this Friday’s school reform conference at American University, “Whither American Education?” Hosted by the University’s Political Theory Institute, the all-day conference will discuss “contemporary school reforms, our deepest educational values, and the direction of American education” and will feature experts on school reform from around the country. Here’s the schedule:

9:30 a.m.: Coffee & pastries

10:00: Welcome, AU President Cornelius Kerwin

10:05: Introductory remarks, Alan Levine, PTI Director

10:15- noon: The Goals of Education Panel:

• John Agresto, President Emeritus, St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Meira Levinson, Harvard University
• G. Borden Flanagan, American University

Noon – 1:30: Lunch Break

1:30-3:30: The Means of Education Panel, featuring

• Chester Finn, Fordham Foundation and former Assistant US Secretary of Education for President Regan
• Andy Rotherham, Education Sector and EduWonk & former Domestic Policy Advisor to President Clinton
• William Galston, Brookings Institution & former Domestic Policy Avisor to President Clinton

3:30-4:00: Break, light refreshments served

4:00-6:00: Reports from the Front Lines Panel, featuring

• Richard Barth, CEO and President of KIPP Schools
• Paul Hill, University of Washington & founding Director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education
• Bob Nardo, founding Chief Operations Officer at the Tennessee Achievement School District

For more information, head to the event’s website here. And for some preparatory reading, check out the papers from our own school reform conference last year: Civics 2.0: Citizenship Education for a New Generation (at which both Meira Levinson and William Galston presented). As we noted, “previous school reforms have focused on graduation rates and reading and math scores, neglecting education about citizenship and resulting in a lack of basic knowledge about issues at the core of what has made America great. School reformers are themselves deeply engaged in powerful civic and political action: transforming American educational policy and practice. This presents an opportunity to ensure that America’s schools also focus—as they once did—on forging engaged, empowered citizens.”