The average life span of a Fortune 500 company, from birth to death, is about fifty years.

No institution lasts forever. When the world changes, they either adapt or — more often — fade away while something else takes their place.

Yet the core of our education system is 200 years old.

Why are we shocked that a system designed in the early 1800s isn’t optimized for 2015?

 

 In this compelling talk, Rick Hess — Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute — challenges us to radically rethink what public schools should accomplish. And he explains why calling education a “civil rights issue” might be more limiting than helpful.

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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.