Young people in America are struggling. The causes are varied and may not be entirely clear, but the results are unfortunately unmistakable. Many of our youth feel lonely, isolated or depressed and struggle to see a future where they can buy a house, have a family or feel connected to their community. The two panelists in this talk from the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival bring...

Shakespeare is ubiquitous in literature classes and theater, but the avenues of relating to his work are not always clear to young people and modern audiences. Some, such as Shakespeare scholar and professor Ayanna Thompson, argue that his plays make sense as living, breathing, adaptable instruments that can be shaped to fit the times. Playwright, director and professor Ja...

When Sal Khan created Khan Academy, he was trying to scale up the successful experiences he’d had tutoring his cousins one-on-one in math. He saw how effective it could be for students to go at their own pace, ask questions and be questioned about their reasoning, and he wanted to make those benefits available to as many kids as possible. The organization eventually grew t...

The desire to try and stop people from reading certain printed material has been around since material was first printed. In the modern era, book banning has waxed and waned in popularity, experiencing peaks during McCarthyism and again in the 1980s. We’re now in the midst of another wave, mostly targeting books by people of color and LGBTQ identities. In 2022, the number...

Parents have always cared about what their kids are learning in school, but education debates have become particularly explosive in the U.S. in the last couple of years. All over the country, parent groups have introduced bills that try to control and restrict what children learn – especially around issues of race, history, and LGBTQ identity. What’s behind the recent push...

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....

Why is it so hard to watch our children fail? Why might a highly structured life for a child be a bad thing? And how important is our behavior, as adults, in the development of a child? Psychologist Angela Duckworth explains how to raise a child with strong character.

The American Dream says hard work will lead to a better life. But Harvard professor Micheal Sandel says climbing the ladder of success is getting harder in the United States, because the rungs on the ladder are growing further apart.

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.

Is the English language deteriorating before our ears?

Technology is redefining who we trust, and this shift in trust has fundamental consequences.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth explains how to raise a child with strong character.

How do we make college more affordable and accessible for everyone?

Robert Runcie on the power of education, how tragedy shakes a community, and why he believes in hope

How is online learning changing classroooms?

How can colleges better address students' mental health issues?

By trying to provide a perfect childhood, parents may be making it harder for their kids to grow up.

Which strategies are most promising to stop gun violence in Chicago?

What tactics must young people employ to get people in power to take them seriously?

Best-selling author Susan Orlean says ignorance about a subject is a powerful igniter of curiosity.