As more and more expectations are placed on schools, many basic questions about the purpose of a K-12 education remain the subject of great debate. Hear perspectives and stories from her travels across the country meeting public educators and community members caught in the sometimes contentious debate.
Nationally recognized education journalist Berkshire is the co-host and co-producer of Have You Heard, a monthly podcast on education issues.
Berkshire spent six years editing a newspaper for the American Federation of Teachers in Massachusetts before freelancing.
Her articles and interviews on the debate over the future of public education have appeared in Salon, the Washington Post, the Baffler, the Progressive and on the blog that she created, EduShyster.com.
What is school for? I'm often struck that there isn't even basic agreement on this, even as more and more expectations are heaped on schools themselves. Is the goal to train future worker bees? Is it to produce well-rounded citizens? Is it to prepare for a future in which robots do everything?