Education Nation: Are You Tuning In?
NBC News is in the midst of a massive experiment in public engagement. Now in its second year, the"Education Nation" summit began Sunday and runs through Wednesday in New York City, with a combination of live forums, panels and town hall discussions. There are also multiple online resources for participants, from quizzes to measure parental engagement to rebroadcasts of exclusive interviews with big names such as Education Secretary Arne Duncan and billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett. One of Monday's spotlight interviews looked at Akron, Ohio, where reform efforts are focusing on making sure students are proficient in reading by the third grade. There have been some troubling studies suggesting that students who are below grade level when they start the fourth grade have little chance of catching up in their academic careers. This interview was of particular interest to me (and not just because it also featured LeBron James). I recently spoke
