Full schedule and advanced materials will be posted in the coming days. Stay Tuned!
Post-Session Materials
Please note that materials are for the ALI Community only and not for further distribution.
Session 1: Dilemmas of Excellence & Equity (Merseth)
Session 2: Schools Unlocking Student Passion (Irvin Scott)
Session 3: Education and the Workforce (Deming)
Session 4: What is the Common Good? (Beerbohm)
Slides forthcoming
Session 5: Education and the Self (Ferguson)
Session 6: Promoting Equity in Public Education (Uccelli)
Session 7: Private, Public, and Charter Education (Panel)
Session 8: Education Case Study (Merseth)
Professor Kay Merseth (Harvard Graduate School of Education) will chair this two-day deep dive that asks "What is the purpose of public education?" This is a question rarely asked and yet crucially important. Is the purpose economic, moral and civic, academic, to awaken the passion that all children have, to increase equity and access, for self-growth and the development of self-esteem and a sense of efficacy?
We will examine the purpose of public education with national and international leaders. We will explore education as a means for workforce development, education as a defender of the democratic process, and education as a vehicle for self-actualization. We’ll also speak with practitioners who are working to advance these differing definitions of the purpose of education.
At-A-Glance Schedule(Updated 4/10/23)
PDF of Session Details and Readings (Updated 4/20/23)
Session I: Dilemmas of Excellence and Equity
Thursday, May 4, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Harvard Business School, Chao 340
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Senior Lecturer, 1982-2018, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Session Description
In our first session of the ALI deep dive into education, Merseth will outline the tensions and dilemmas present in K-12 education systems today. She considers dilemmas in education as situations in which reasonable and well-educated people disagree, sometimes strongly. Such dilemmas might include debates about bilingual education, tracking of children into ability groups, high-stakes testing, and the decision-making processes around what is studied and taught in schools and who should decide.
Required Pre-Reading
Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle over Educational Goals
Session II: Schools Unlocking Student Passion
Thursday, May 4, from 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Harvard Business School, Chao 340
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Senior Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Session Description
One of the major purposes of education is to "ignite and sustain interest, intrigue, and passion." From his days as a student, teacher, principal, district leader, and foundation executive, Scott has found setting the heart and mind on fire has been key to leadership. In our session, he will use the pedagogy of storytelling to explore what this has looked like for him. We’ll also explore what that looks like for ALI participants, so, come prepared to share. Finally, and perhaps provocatively, we’ll explore what happens when the opposite happens?
Session III: Education and the Workforce
Thursday, May 4, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Chao 340
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Isabelle and Scott Black Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University
Academic Dean, Harvard Kennedy School
Faculty Dean of Kirkland House, Harvard College
Session Description
Higher education is at an inflection point. As student debt mounts, the public is becoming increasingly skeptical of the value of college. What can colleges do to better connect their students to the workforce?
The College-to-Jobs Initiative addresses the misalignment between higher education and employment in the US. We highlight ways to improve student connections to the workforce, with a focus on public two- and four-year colleges, HBCUs, and MSIs.
Required Pre-Reading
Executive Summary, Delivering on the Degree: The College-to-Jobs Playbook
Session IV: What is the Common Good?
Thursday, May 4, from 2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Chao 340
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Professor of Government and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Philosophy,
Chair of the Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
Faculty Dean of Quincy House, Harvard College
Session Description
The “common good” is appealed by philosophers, political scientists, and politicians alike. Although their purposes are diverse, most invocations of the common good share a unified orientation toward it. The common good is taken to be an ideal worthy of our political pursuit. The common good represents a way of rising above private or parochial interests, setting aside political posturing or gamesmanship, and working toward goals whose value none could deny. Given its uniformly positive valence, it should not be surprising that the common good is often paired with the other guiding concept of political society: justice. We are frequently told that the appropriate aim of deliberative democracy is toward “justice and the common good,” implicating both that the common good is something beyond justice itself, but also that the concepts play a similar function—as appropriate guides to political activity.
Required Pre-Reading
The Common Good: A Buck-Passing Account
Session V: Education and the Self
Thursday, May 4, from 4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Chao 340
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Fellow, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School
Neuroscientist, Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
First-Year Wellness Director, Harvard College
Session Description
Self and self-transcendence have long been central themes in philosophy and spirituality. More recently, advances in brain imaging have allowed neuroscience and psychology to contribute evidence-based insights to these historical conversations. This workshop surveys new and emerging discoveries from these exciting fields and encourages participants to engage in the potential impact of these findings on education.
Suggested Pre-Reading
A Neural Circuit for Spirituality and Religiosity Derived From Patients With Brain Lesions
The Psychobiology of the Path to a Joyful Life: Implications for Future Research and Practice
Session VI: Promoting Equity in Public Education
Friday, May 5, from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Harvard Business School, Batten Hive 204
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Professor of Education
Co-Faculty Director, Doctor of Philosophy in Education Program,
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Session Description
Transforming how we support students’ language and literacy learning in public schools around the world is at the core of educational equity and excellence today. In a world where knowledge is updated at ever greater speed, where collaboration across differences is ubiquitously required to find solutions to complex problems, and where distant communication is ever more prevalent in learning, working, and civic participation, preparing students to be skilled communicators and independent readers is of utmost importance. Recent estimates indicate that in low and middle-income countries, about 70% of students cannot read and understand a simple text by age 10; in the U.S., 66% of 4th graders and 69% of 8th graders tested nationally in 2022 did not achieve proficiency in reading. This is a societal crisis in need of urgent educational transformation.
In this talk, Uccelli will share evidence from her work on monolingual and multilingual school-relevant language learning to argue that without understanding individual differences in the language resources that mid-adolescents bring to school and without attending to the language demands for reading, writing, and learning, schools run the risk of maintaining and even exacerbating the inequalities present in the larger society. Far from quick fixes, this crisis calls for transformative and viable approaches that embrace the full complexity of preparing students to “read to learn” in today’s world.
Session VII: Private, Public, and Charter Education Panel
Friday, May 5, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Batten Hive 204
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speakers
Former Board Chair, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Georgia
Doctorate in Education Leadership Candidate, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Co-Founder, Math Learning Lab
Founder, Match Education
Former Chief Academic Officer, Bridge International Academies
Head of School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
Former Superintendent, North Andover Public Schools
Session Description
What roles can schools, universities, and non-profits play in helping to create empathetic and engaged citizens? Do the different governance structures of public agencies, private boards, and non-profits enhance or impede the achievement of this goal? How do these forms of governance compare in their ability to develop democratic societies? Encourage innovation? Create more equitable societies?
Suggested Pre-Reading
Session VIII: Workshop Session - Education Case Study, City Garden Montessori Charter School
Friday, May 5, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Batten Hive 204
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Senior Lecturer, 1982-2018, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Session Overview
In this ‘live’ case discussion of a public Montessori K-8 charter school in St. Louis, Missouri, we will explore the possible tensions between public and private purposes in the charter movement. How can a public school provide equal opportunity for all students in its catchment areas while also maximizing individual family choice? How does one design a system that benefits both the common good as well as the individual good?
Required Pre-Reading
Session IX: Fireside Chat - Teach for All
Friday, May 5, from 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Batten Hive 204
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
CEO and Co-founder, Teach for All
Founder, Teach for America
Session Overview
Wendy Kopp shares insights from her efforts with Teach for All, a global network of independent organizations working to develop collective leadership to ensure all children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential and Teach For America – which has proven to be an unparalleled source of long-term leadership for expanding opportunity for children in the United States.
Session X: So What? Now What?
Friday, May 5, from 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Harvard Business School, Batten Hive 204
Zoom Meeting
https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96145437206?pwd=VzNCejNkUjZ1aWdkSk41ZndmT0wwdz09
Meeting ID: 961 4543 7206
Password: 2023
Speaker
Senior Lecturer, 1982-2018, Harvard Graduate School of Education