Education in America
Where Are We Going? Changing Society, Changing Schools
Dr. Thomas Sobol, the New York State Commissioner of Education, delivers the annual Albert Hardy Newman Lecture. Dr. Sobol contends that “something is missing from the current national debate on education” and questions what the ultimate purpose of education in America is and what it should or can be. He reads excerpts from Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher and the Rye (1951), and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon (1977) and reflects on how each story demonstrates an unconventional, essential, and deeply neglected form of education and personal development. He advocates for an education that doesn’t just target test scores but meets the needs of students on all fronts. The lecture is followed with questions from the audience.
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