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At first blush, this year might be considered the year of parental power, with the proliferation of parental bills of rights across the country that put limitations on what can be taught in public schools and allow objecting parents to seek removal of books from the school library. These bills and similar legislation purport to provide parents a greater voice in their chil...
Why is there resistance to the idea that public funds should be used for art? What does it mean for the stewardship of cultural and educational organizations and the support of individual artists? And how does the relationship between non-profit and commercial culture impact how we value the creative sector?
What should every American know? This question has long been debated, discussed, and deliberated. Amidst giant demographic and social shifts, it is more important than ever to define some common knowledge — cultural, pop cultural, historical, civic facts, memes, and references that every American should know. Answers need to come from all of us, not just a powerful few. Th...
David Skorton became the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on July 1, 2015. A board-certified cardiologist who previously served as president of Cornell University, Skorton entered the institution at a time of transition and renovation, with new museums like the National Museum of African American History and Culture slated to open soon and major overhauls on o...
Schools of nursing, medicine, and public health are attracting applicants in record numbers and admiration for these professionals has never been higher. At the same time, many workers—burned out, burdened by debt, and facing mental health challenges—are fleeing the field. Given the appeal, the stress, and the vital nature of healthcare jobs, we need to understand how best...
They’re up, they’re down, they’re up again — at least that’s what it looks like from the outside. But maybe the myths we perpetuate about the adolescent emotional roller coaster represent a cultural habit more than reality. Is understanding how humans experience feelings over the course of a lifetime the key to understanding teens? Join us as we explore how parents, coache...
When we understand how our emotions work — and how they can trick us for both good and bad outcomes — we can turn them into superpowers. Hear from researchers and practitioners who offer intriguing ways to think about emotions. They suggest ways to better navigate our inner lives and relationships with those around us.
Within our lifetimes, AI will, by design, begin to behave unpredictably, thinking and acting in ways which defy human logic. Big tech companies may be inadvertently building and enabling vast arrays of intelligent systems that don't share our motivations, desires, or hopes for the future of humanity. Is it too late to change course and realize a human-centered future for a...
Virtual exchange is online education that brings young people together in virtual classrooms with their peers around the world. These low-cost programs are uniquely capable of reaching those who do not have access to international education. Virtual exchange combines technology and curriculum to give young people cross-cultural competency and 21st century skills—language,...
Is America turning its back on the humanities? The evidence seems real when we see declining enrollments in the studies of arts, history, literature, language, and philosophy at colleges and universities across the country. Declining enrollments preface limited budgets for broad areas of inquiry as the promise of STEM curricula woos students to jobs and career paths. I...
In this new Aspen Ideas format, all attendees gather each morning to kick off the day by exploring a current issue of deep complexity. Debates over the content of our historical narrative and cultural values have Americans of differing ideologies engaged in heated battle, with educators and students caught in between. Meanwhile, have we failed to meaningfully educate o...
How can we use this moment of post-pandemic reawakening and reinvention to ensure that every young person in America is ready for the future? Join this session to participate in an immersive discussion about the future of K–12 learning — one in which opportunity and a self-determined life are within reach for every child, no matter their background. Three leaders confront...
How can we prepare needed talent to fuel economic growth and social mobility? With the workplace rapidly changing with advances in artificial intelligence, do we even know enough about future jobs to prepare young people with the right skills and capacities? Are our education systems prepared in light of rapid demographic shifts? Leaders in industry and academia have some...
With students learning in more places and different ways than we have ever seen, the pace of change in education is dizzying. Join our panel of education experts in a discussion about what the classroom of the future will look like, how educational innovation can bridge divides, and how we can work together to get there. Presented by the Walton Family Foundation
Achieving shared prosperity requires internal and external investments in both skills development and the tools that enable financial mobility. Corporations are recognizing and prioritizing these investments to empower a multi-generational workforce better suited for the future. Panelists will examine the complexities that corporate leaders are facing like how to establish...
Roughly one in four students choose business as their undergraduate major in the US, making business the most popular academic pursuit. While business majors excel in the post-graduation job market, some studies suggest humanities majors actually fare better over the course of their careers. How do we retain the liberal arts in the face of demand for business credentials?...
America has always meant business. We’re a nation of self-starters, strivers, and entrepreneurs — with the courage to take big risks and the confidence to determine our own destiny. Entrepreneurs are seen as the beating heart of our economy, generating the jobs, wealth, and innovation that keep the American Dream alive. But what are the conditions that small businesses nee...
Worry not about the demise of student activism: It is alive and well on the college campus. But worry about something else: the future of free speech. This year, the focus on campuses across the US is speech, and arguments regarding fairness, respect, and freedom are loudly voiced. What constitutes “freedom of expression” for some summons deep pain for others, so much so t...
Students today face a complex, economically competitive future. Yet in too many schools, they are missing a critical piece of their education. Our K-12 schools appropriately emphasize the rigorous academic skills students need to be ready for college and career. But now there is compelling evidence that we must complement the focus on academic achievement with development...