What Will It Take to Improve American Schools?

Jal Mehta has become a national voice in debates about improving American education. In his most recent book, The Allure of Order: High Hopes, Dashed Expectations and the Troubled Quest to Remake American Schooling, he explains why reformers repeatedly turn to the promise of scientific management and rational administration from above—and why it hasn't worked. Mehta's solution: attract strong candidates into teaching, develop relevant and usable knowledge, train teachers extensively, and support it all with a robust welfare state.

This annual lecture recognizes a generous multiyear grant from the Spencer Foundation, which seeks both to support and disseminate exemplary research about education, broadly conceived.