For decades, the “education reform” movement has been churning out good ideas.

Policy experts and passionate activists have a thousand ways that our schools could be leveraging technology, increasing choice, and fostering competition to improve opportunities for all.

So why do they have such trouble gaining traction?

 

In this energetic talk, Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute dives into the principles and practices of effective communication. He offers widely-applicable advice for getting your message across powerfully and effectively in any kind of debate. And he brings these principles home to education reform in particular, illustrating where advocates go wrong and how they can finally win.

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Hear more from Arthur Brooks. Brooks is a quirky, compelling spokesman for how Washington, D.C. can better itself and win back the American people’s trust. His popular talk “The Secret to Happiness” explores the latest research on how each of us can live a meaningful life, and explains the role that economics plays in human happiness.  His regular New York Times columns teach — among other things — how carrying a “magic briefcase” can change your behavior, why you should become a “sturdy lad” and not a “city doll,” and why money, power, and sex can bring misery rather than contentment. His most recent books include Gross National Happiness and The Road to Freedom.

Get solutions from top education experts. The American Enterprise Institute’s education scholars conduct elite research and offer bold commentary on improving schooling in the United States. These leading thinkers include Michael McShane, who focuses on K-12 education; Andrew P. Kelly, who directs the Center on Higher Education Reform; and Katharine Stevens, AEI’s first-ever research fellow in early childhood education.