Education and Society Program

Program Overview

The Aspen Education and Society Program (“Aspen Education Program”) works with local, state and national education leaders to share and build knowledge about how school systems can improve the education and life chances of poor and minority students. The work is grounded in the real-life challenges confronted by education leaders; the Aspen Education Program partners with them to create strategies, programs and policies to accomplish their improvement goals.

Across our projects, we convene diverse stakeholders to listen and learn together and to put aside the political and ideological posturing that too often characterize education debates. We highlight the best work from the field, synthesize the best research -- and provide a forum for its dissemination to those who can use it. Because we are in near-constant conversations with policymakers and practitioners, we are able to help each make sense of the other and to foster a more productive dialogue across the policy/practice divide.

The Aspen Education and Society Program pursues this work through several integrated strategies: professional learning networks, case studies and policy reports, and public convenings.