A search for common ground: Conversations about the toughest questions in K–12 education

At a time of bitter national polarization, we need to push past empty posturing in favor of a healthy, constructive competition of ideas. Frederick M. Hess and Pedro A. Noguera, who tend to fall on opposing sides of the ideological aisle, candidly explore their differences on some of the toughest issues in K–12 education in their new book, “A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K–12 Education” (Teachers College Press, 2021).

Dr. Hess and Dr. Noguera wrestle with important disagreements regarding issues such as school choice, for-profit provision, civics, and anti-racism, in a manner that yields understanding and a sense of shared purpose. In this conversation, they discuss where 21st-century schooling needs to go and how to foster the kind of public discourse that will get us there.