David Steiner, the executive director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, is the author of A Nation at Thought and spoke at the New York Encounter, where he spent his day with Avalon and Brookewood president, Rich McPherson. Steiner's dark view of the current ed scene is interesting to us, as is his book. Steiner believes in teaching for content (not skills in isolation, as has been the emphasis in contemporary education for decades) and connecting great texts to the deep, meaningful questions they raise. He thinks American teaching in general lacks urgency. Rich and I had a wide-ranging conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.
Life of the Mind: Brookewood & Avalon Schools