The Federal Govermment Should Mandate that Every Child Should Study A Musical Instrument


That quote comes from Diane Ravitch, who was presented at an American Enterprise Institute forum last Wednesday night in DC.

In addition, the program featured AEI’s Rick Hess as moderator, and AEI’s Mark Schneider,  NEA President Dennis van Roekel, and the Boorkings Institution’s William A. Galston, as panelists.

This was part of Diane’s book tour, and of course, to have Diane present her ideas on school reform today, highly critical of the things that AEI has been supportive of, made for a great presentation, not to mention theater.

I was glad to be there in the audience. It was great too to see Sarah Cunningham, Arts Education Program Director from the other NEA, there as well.

For those wondering why you should watch this?? Well, if you would like to hear things that have concerned you about what’s happening to arts education, as well as education in general, spoken out loud among major figures in education policy, while given context, coherence, and meaning, then there you have it, your answer.

Click here to view the full video from Wednesday night’s forum.

About This Event

Online registration for this event is closed. Walk-in registrations will be accepted.

Diane
Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University and
renowned education historian, has long been at the forefront of
national discussions on education policy and politics. In her new book,
The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (Basic
Books, March 2010), Ms. Ravitch charges that school reform is on the
wrong track. She further argues that charter schooling and test-based
accountability will not improve American education and that there are
multiple reasons for low achievement, including the absence of a sound
and coherent curriculum. Her stark indictment and own change of heart
on many of these issues offers a chance to assess the assumptions and
evidence that undergird today’s most visible education debates.    

Please
join us to hear Ms. Ravitch present the ideas in her new book.
Immediately following her presentation, AEI resident scholar and
director of education policy studies Frederick M. Hess will moderate a
discussion featuring William A. Galston, senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution; AEI visiting scholar Mark Schneider, former national
commissioner of education statistics and currently vice president at
the American Institutes for Research; and Dennis Van Roekel, president
of the 3.2-million-member National Education Association.