American democracy faces unprecedented challenges from both ends of the political spectrum. On the right, actions to undermine the peaceful transfer of power and suggestions to suspend the Constitution pose severe risks. Meanwhile, on the left, cultural forces on campuses are creating an environment where progressive students increasingly find it acceptable to block opposing views. But why is it happening now? And what can be done about it?
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) recently released a vital framework that offers a diagnosis and a solution. The report titled “Teaching Students What It Means to Be an American” pins the decline of liberal democracy on the rise of identity politics that causes extremists on both ends of the political spectrum to erode democratic values. Report author Richard Kahlenberg, Director of the American Identity Project, offers a comprehensive solution to strengthen these values through education.
Join us on October 10 at 2 p.m. ET to chat with report author Richard Kahlenberg, Lindsey Cormack, Jose Gregory, and Chester E. Finn, Jr.. The panel will be moderated by Stefanie Sanford.
Richard Kahlenberg is Director of the American Identity Project and Director of Housing at the Progressive Policy Institute. He is the author or editor of 19 books, including Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race and Democracy (2007), and Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality, and Build Real Diversity at America’s Colleges (forthcoming, March 2025.) He has been labeled “the intellectual father of the economic integration movement” in K–12 schooling and “arguably the nation’s chief proponent of class-based affirmative action in higher education admissions.” He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
Lindsey Cormack is an associate professor of Political Science and Director of the Diplomacy Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology. She has authored two books, How to Raise a Citizen (And Why it’s Up to You to Do It) and Congress and U.S. Veterans: From the GI Bill to the VA Crisis. She created and maintains the digital database of all official Congress-to-constituent e-newsletters at www.dcinbox.com. She earned her PhD in Government from New York University. She currently serves as the Secretary for Manhattan Community Board 8.
Jose Gregory obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1998 and then attended the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school. He has worked as a high school social studies teacher for twenty-one years, attended the AP U.S. History Reading since 2008, and served in a leadership position since 2017. As a College Board endorsed consultant, Mr. Gregory has facilitated various workshops and AP Summer Institutes around the country. He also serves as the AP Lead Consultant for U.S. History and just finished serving as a member of the Test Development Committee. Mr. Gregory currently teaches at Marist School in Atlanta and previously taught at a magnet school for the performing arts, DeKalb School of the Arts, and at Miami-Palmetto Senior High School in Florida. In 2021, he was selected as The Gilder Lehrman’s Institute (“GLI”) Teacher of the Year for Georgia and is currently a member of GLI’s Teacher Advisory Council.
Chester E. Finn, Jr. scholar, educator and public servant, has devoted his career to improving education in the United States. At Fordham, he is now Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus. He’s also a Volker Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Finn served as Fordham’s President from 1997 to 2014, after many earlier roles in education and government. From 1999 until 2002, he was John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and previously at Hudson Institute. In 1992-94, he served as founding partner and senior scholar with the Edison Project. He was Professor of Education and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University from 1981 until 2002. From 1985 to 1988, he served as Assistant Secretary for Research and Improvement and Counselor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. Earlier positions include Staff Assistant to the President of the United States; Special Assistant to the Governor of Massachusetts; Counsel to the U.S. Ambassador to India; Research Associate at the Brookings Institution; and Legislative Director for Senator Daniel P. Moynihan.
For more than four decades, Finn has been in the forefront of the national debate about school reform. His participation in seminars, conferences, and hearings has taken him to colleges, education and civic groups, and government organizations throughout the world.
Dr. Stefanie Sanford, President of Civic Ventures at Alithi Consulting and Humanitae Philanthropy Advisors, is dedicated to fostering civic knowledge, transcending polarization, and facilitating constructive dialogue across various policy areas. With over 30 years of experience in philanthropy, education policy, and government, including roles at the College Board and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she has a proven track record of leadership. Beginning her career in Texas state capitol, she served in both Republican and Democratic administrations before being selected as a White House Fellow. Dr. Sanford chairs the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Citizens & Scholars and holds positions with several other organizations dedicated to civic engagement and education.
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