Congressional Program

Congressional Program Conference Papers

The comments made and views expressed in these papers are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute or Congressional Program funders.

Education Reform
Sixteenth Conference
Improving "No Child Left Behind": Linking World-Class Education Standards to America's Economic Recovery
August 17-22, 2009
Director and Moderator: Dick Clark

Table of Contents

• The Future of Inequality: The Other Reason Education Matters So Much, Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz
• International Educational Benchmarks and Global Competitiveness, Andreas Schleicher
• The Federal Role in Encouraging States to Raise Standards and Teacher Quality: Implications for Accountability and College Readiness, Uri Treisman
• The Appropriate Federal Road in Developing Better Tests: The Need to Improve Measurements of Both Learning and Teaching, Eva Baker
• Prioritizing Teaching and School Leadership Quality for the Children Who Need It Most: Renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Jean Desravines
• Education Needs a Toyota: Using Systems Thinking and Management to Promote Innovation and Radically Redesign Our Schools, Robert Hughes

U.S.-China Relations
Tenth Conference
March 24-30, 2008
Director and Moderator: Dick Clark

Table of Contents

• Core Economic Issues in U.S.-China Relations: Currency, the Trade Deficit, Investment and Finance, Food and Product Safety, Nicholas Lardy
• Political Reform and the Fragility of Communist Rule in China, Susan Shirk
• China's Military Modernization on Land and Sea and in the Air and Space: Relevance to U.S. Policy, Dennis Blair
• The Nexus of Energy, Global Warming, and Environmental Concerns: Opportunities for U.S.-China Cooperation, Lin Jiang

Political Islam: Challenges for the New Administration and the New Congress
May 26 - June 1, 2009
Director and Moderator: Dick Clark

Table of Contents

• Iran: Challenges for U.S. Policy, Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Iraq and the Future of the U.S. Presence in the Gulf, Paul Hughes, U.S. Institute of Peace
• Pakistan and Its Neighbors: U.S. Policy Priorities, Teresita Schaffer, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• America, Democracy and the Arab World: The Balance Sheet, Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Islam: Governance, Ideology and U.S. Policy for the New Administration and the New Congress
February 14 - 20, 2009
Director and Moderator: Dick Clark

Table of Contents

• Confronting Terrorism: Lessons Learned Since 9/11, Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University
• Afghanistan: The Continuing Challenge for the U.S., Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Islam and the Central Asian "Stans": Implications for the U.S., S. Frederick Starr, Johns Hopkins University
• The Arab Democratic Moderates and U.S. Policy, Lisa Anderson, Provost, American University in Cairo

Energy Security and Climate Change: Policy Challenges for the New Administration and the New Congress
April 4 - 10, 2009

Table of Contents

• Overview of Oil Supply and Demand and the Implications for U.S. Policy, Amy Myers Jaffe, Baker Institute, Rice University
• The Potential for Renewable Technologies to Meet Energy Needs, Hal Harvey, ClimateWorks Foundation
• Innovative Options for New Transportation Systems of the Future, Joshua Schank, Bipartisan Policy Center
• The Impacts of Climate Change on the U.S. Economy, Brian Murray, Duke University
• Implementing a Post-Kyoto International Agreement to Address Climate Change, Jonathan Lash, World Resources Institute