Andrew Frishman, 01/25/13

Doctoral Candidate, Education Leadership Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

I wonder if Adam Lanza was given the chance to learn about himself and discover what he loved. Was he given support and guidance about how to connect with other people around him in deep and meaningful ways?

Donna Randall, 01/25/13

President, Albion College

Efforts to encourage innovation should stretch well beyond science and technology. Graduates in the fine arts, humanities and social sciences have roles to play. We need their creativity, ability to express important ideas, and understanding of societal needs.

Maura O'Neill, 01/25/13

Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor to the Administrator, USAID

Steve Jobs loved music, but hadn't spent his life as a disc jockey. He was not a professional musician or a stereo hardware designer and he didn't focus on music marketing. That is, until he and his team at Apple released the iPod.

Zack Kopplin, 01/24/13

Student, Rice University, Science Education Activist

Teaching our students creationism is wrong. American citizens must stand up and demand that their state governments stop funding creationism with public money. We must teach evidence based science and not fund voucher schools which will fail our students.

Amanda Moreno, Ph.D., 01/24/13

Associate Director, Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy

If you take a bath on Friday, and get dirty on Saturday, this means the bath was ineffective. The preceding, clearly flawed, logic sums up the misguided hysteria over a recent HHS report showing that the positive effects of Head Start fade out by third grade.

Danielle Nierenberg, 01/24/13

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Policy Expert

Learning nutrition requirements and the importance of fruits and vegetables is only the first step. Students who know more about food and nutrition may be our best chance for reversing childhood obesity and will serve as role models for parents and communities.

Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, 01/24/13

A college education has become an expensive commodity nearly inaccessible to many young adults who grew up in some of our most disinvested-in communities and school districts. One important, underutilized answer: employer-customized training.

Dori Roberts, 01/24/13

Founder, Engineering for Kids

If you were to peek into a preschool classroom, you'd find kids whose hands would be busy and whose minds would be racing with different creative possibilities: A rollercoaster using foam pipe insulation! A rocket from a plastic water bottle! These kids are engineers. Most just don't know it.

Diann Woodard, 01/24/13

President, American Federation of School Administrators

It is now time to re-evaluate our education policy, starting with the voice, tools, and support that we provide for our school leaders, the principals and administrators responsible for overseeing the scholastic performance and physical operations of our schools.

Students Rising Above, 01/24/13

Because of my background, I had always thought of myself as inferior to others. The idea that I was lesser than other people has always plagued me and limited what I believed I could accomplish.

Marc Epstein, 01/24/13

Teacher, New York City High Schools

We're experiencing one of those spasmodic waves of reform that seems to wash over us every 60 years or so. The effects of it are unpredictable, but if history is any guide, it will have lots of unfortunate consequences that succeeding generations will inherit and have to clean up.

Gordon Brown, 01/24/13

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; UN Special Envoy for Global Education

The rights of girls is moving to the top of the global issues agenda because young women are saying with rising resolve that they will no longer accept the rules and conventions imposed upon them by a male-dominated adult population.

John Thompson, 01/24/13

Award-winning historian and inner-city teacher

A new study indicates that families that move to somewhat less poor neighborhoods saw modest gains, while students who moved to schools that might have been slightly better saw no gains. That is disappointing but not particularly surprising.

Joel Shatzky, 01/24/13

English Professor

The present debate on what to do about gun violence as a result of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre reminds me of an observation by Winston Churchill: "The American people will find a solution to every problem after they've tried everything else."

Dr. John Ebersole, 01/24/13

President of Excelsior College

What motivates any of us to action (or inaction) can depend largely upon how far away the perceived reward may be.

Rodney Walker, 01/24/13

Master's student, Yale School of Management and Divinity School

Dr. King's emphasis on self-reliance and empowerment for low-income people made it possible for someone like me to start a small business. My new dream is to build a business that will solve a problem in my community while creating jobs for people.

Nehad Khader, 01/22/13

Educator, artist and art curator

Teaching personalities may be easier, but it is also disempowering. Above all else, movements are propelled by hundreds or thousands of people, not by leaders. This is a very humble request to put the move back into movements.