Join education scholars and practitioners for a discussion about the latest NCLB research and its implications for future education policy.

Should No Child Left Behind be thought of as a well-intentioned initiative that failed? Or did it make some progress in its stated goal of improving academic achievement, particularly for disadvantaged students?

A decade ago, Milwaukee was regarded as one of the nation's iconic cities when it came to school reform. It can be that way again.

For school leaders, the key is more brains and less bravado, says Rick Hess.

By encouraging a single-minded focus on instructional leadership, the training, socializing, and mentoring of school leaders has unwittingly fostered a culture of caged leadership.

Our schools can do a lot better. But to avoid lamenting unfulfilled expectations three more decades hence, it’s imperative that we get the leaders we need and then equip them to succeed. This doesn’t require superheroes, just smarts.

To recall the impact of A Nation at Risk these past three decades and to reflect on what lies ahead, we invite you to watch a short video retrospective developed by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the American Enterprise Institute: A Nation at Risk: 30 Years Later.

As an organization that serves the dual objectives of closing the achievement gap and engaging future leaders in education, Teach For America may find that my perspective—while not necessarily better, or truer—merits some consideration.

Guest host Ben DeGrow is joined by Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at American Enterprise Institute and Douglas County School District Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen to discuss the importance of strong leadership in bringing about effective education reform.