There’s little doubt that education and opportunity are tightly joined in the twenty-first-century economy. Almost every week brings a new study demonstrating that highly skilled workers are being rewarded with stronger pay and excellent workingconditions, while Americans with few skills are struggling mightily. This has become a major theme of the presidential campaign—and a rallying cry for the so-called "reformicons."
Expanding educational achievement, then, appears to be a clear route to expanding economic opportunity. Yet much of our public discourse ends here. Of course more young Americans need better education in order to succeed. But what kind of education: Is the goal “college for all”? What do we mean by “college”? Do our young people mostly need a strong foundation in academics? What about so-called “non-cognitive” skills? Should technical education make a comeback?
PRESENTER | |
 | Michael Petrilli President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Research Fellow, Hoover Institution Editor, Education for Upward Mobility  @MichaelPetrilli |
PANELISTS | |
 | Neil Bradley Chief Strategy Officer, Conservative Reform Network @NeilBradleyDC |
 | Gerard Robinson Resident Fellow, Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute @gerard_924 |
 | Isabel Sawhill Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution @isawhill |
MODERATOR | |
 | Michael Franc Director of D.C. Programs, Hoover Institution @HooverInst |