In an election season marked by the prominent involvement of young voters and the unprecedented use of new technologies for campaign advertisements and fundraising, the significance of the “millennial generation” has acquired new salience. Some have deemed the generation born between 1982 and 2000 smart and engaged, pointing to record competitiveness for admission to top colleges and surging political participation. Others cite the average two hours that youths spend each day watching television--and the average eight minutes they spend reading--and lament that their access to video games, the Internet, and other digital technologies has eroded essential knowledge and skills. What do data tell us about the impact of new technologies on learning and attainment? What does this mean for youth and schooling in America? How are today’s youth affecting technological development, our way of life, and our institutions?   

Two influential thinkers on these questions--Mark Bauerlein, author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future, and Neil Howe, author of Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation--will debate these and other issues. Frederick M. Hess, AEI’s director of education policy studies, will moderate.