Explore
Search results
The cost of college is indisputably high. But running a college, especially one deeply engaged in research, is also extraordinarily complex. Are our public institutions at risk? Johns Hopkins president Ron Daniels will argue that the marked decline in state funding of colleges and universities alongside state regulatory and governance constraints are exposing a major vulne...
After over a year of disrupted learning, social isolation, and fear about returning to schools in person, Randi Weingarten, who heads the nation’s second-largest teacher’s union, talks about what’s at stake as schools look to safely reopen this fall. What have we learned from a year of unprecedented distance learning about what kids need and what they’re capable of? How ha...
Intelligence is more than the gray matter sloshing around in your skull, and more than the nerves that make sense of your environment. Your mind utilizes extra-neural resources, including the perceptions and knowledge in the minds of others — so the more people you surround yourself with, the bigger your brain is. In this session, we’ll dive into the research that shows ho...
While there are no ironclad rules for producing children who perform well in school, pursue healthy behavior, and work towards wise goals, there are proven strategies that can help. Lucky are those with natural talent, but some work suggests grit, perseverance, and pure stick-to-it-ness may matter even more. Research also highlights the value of finding meaningful life pur...
In the innovation process, ideation is the creation of a great idea. But that’s not enough. Scaling is required to create value for great ideas, and this stage requires skills the entrepreneur often does not natively possess. Braddock Scholars is a response to this need. This Aspen Institute program chooses promising business ventures, profit or not-for-profit, from the wi...
The reality of educating children during a pandemic can be overwhelming. Learn how educators and policymakers are working to ensure every child is digitally connected.
David Skorton became the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on July 1, 2015. A board-certified cardiologist who previously served as president of Cornell University, Skorton entered the institution at a time of transition and renovation, with new museums like the National Museum of African American History and Culture slated to open soon and major overhauls on o...
Schools of nursing, medicine, and public health are attracting applicants in record numbers and admiration for these professionals has never been higher. At the same time, many workers—burned out, burdened by debt, and facing mental health challenges—are fleeing the field. Given the appeal, the stress, and the vital nature of healthcare jobs, we need to understand how best...
For over a decade, Ascend at the Aspen Institute has lifted up parents’ voices and experiences to inform bold solutions for economic mobility in the United States. How does lived expertise influence the way programs and policies are created? What can we learn from a new wave of philanthropic efforts to invest in communities and their parent leaders? Four dynamic leaders sh...
What classrooms need now: A focus on emotional health. Quick Take is a weekly dose of ideas and insights delivered in short form. Today’s episode features Tim Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics and founder of Unite, speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Watch the full conversation, produced in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation: https://www.aspenideas....
Is the English language deteriorating before our ears?
A look at the challenges facing higher education, with a leader who has a perspective unlike any other. Richard C. Levin spent two decades as the president of Yale University before becoming CEO of Coursera. In what ways are traditional universities vulnerable? And can the start-ups really deliver on their promise — in the US and around the world?
Millennials shoulder a lot of stereotypes.
Students today face a complex, economically competitive future. Yet in too many schools, they are missing a critical piece of their education. Our K-12 schools appropriately emphasize the rigorous academic skills students need to be ready for college and career. But now there is compelling evidence that we must complement the focus on academic achievement with development...
Elisabeth Rosenthal on our broken healthcare system.
A school year unlike any other is starting for students and educators across the United States. The pandemic and social unrest around racism make it a challenging time for students, teachers, and administrators, but it’s also a period of opportunity.
Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist and Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy. Ahead of Aspen Ideas: Climate next week, we caught up with Dr. Hayhoe to discuss tips for talking about climate change with anyone, how her faith informs her climate activism, why environmental guilt-tripping never works, and how to develop real, muscular hope.
With many students returning to school from the comfort of their living rooms, educators are using this unique period to address long-standing problems of equity.
They’re up, they’re down, they’re up again — at least that’s what it looks like from the outside. But maybe the myths we perpetuate about the adolescent emotional roller coaster represent a cultural habit more than reality. Is understanding how humans experience feelings over the course of a lifetime the key to understanding teens? Join us as we explore how parents, coache...