Redefining K-12 Education in America, Before It Redefines Us

Join master PBS interviewer Charlie Rose and panelists John Hennessy, Cory Booker, Reed Hastings, Salman Khan, Kim Smith, and Claude Steel for a discussion of ways to improve our troubled school system and provide a better future for our nation's greatest resource, our kids.

America's schools are in trouble. Twenty five percent of American kids drop out of high school. And those that do graduate often are ill prepared for either college or a 21st Century job. Our own Secretary of Education said, "We have to deal with the brutal truth."

But potential solutions are polarizing. Is the problem money? School administrators? Teachers unions? Parents? There's plenty of blame to go around, yet all agree it's a problem we must address . If we wait , the U.S. will lose its competitive edge, more young Americans will be relegated to dead-end jobs, and the U.S to second tier status.

Designing an education that truly builds the necessary skills for today's enormously diverse student population is not easy. But it's the key to opportunity for our citizens, economic vitality for our nation, and to assuring the U.S. remains a world leader. There is hope: innovations and innovators that challenge the status quo; research to help us understand how to move the education needle; a virtual army of reformers experimenting with new ways to teach, learn, and run our public schools

The issues are complex:

• How do we attract and retain good teachers, especially in math and science?
• What is the best way to hold schools accountable and promote effective instruction?
• What should the role of unions be?
• How do charter schools fit into the overall solution?

Join master interviewer and PBS host Charlie Rose and a distinguished panel of luminaries to tackle the question of how to improve our troubled school system and provide a better future for our nation's greatest resource, our kids.