Event Summary
On February 22, Virginia Education Secretary Aimee Rogstad Guidera interviewed AEI’s Richard Hess and Michael Q. McShane about their new book, Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College. Dr. Hess and Dr. McShane discussed the opportunity for the right to step forward on education issues in the aftermath of pandemic school closures, campus radicalism, and calls to lower the bar for disadvantaged students in the name of equity. Secretary Guidera described how many of these issues have played out in her home state of Virginia.
Afterward, Dr. Hess asked a panel, including Secretary Guidera and AEI scholars, to reflect on the history and meaning of education in the US, paying particular attention to how conservatives have interacted with educational institutions. AEI’s Matthew Continetti and Ramesh Ponnuru—drawing on their expertise in conservative history and policy—discussed the implications of the right’s growing power in education policy. Meanwhile, AEI’s Ian Rowe and Secretary Guidera relied on their experiences in educational leadership to explore how conservative educational ideas can play out in practice.
The event concluded with questions from the audience.
—Greg Fournier
Event Description
In the past few years, school closures, campus excesses, and declining test scores have erased the Democratic Party’s historic lead on education. As a frustrated public seeks a more promising way forward, how can the right best answer that call?
In their new book, Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College, AEI’s Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane offer a robust, practical vision for educational improvement. Grounded in personal agency, institutional responsibility, and gratitude, the authors sketch a principled path forward.
Join Dr. Hess and Dr. McShane as they—along with AEI’s Ramesh Ponnuru, Ian Rowe, Matthew Continetti, and Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera—explore what conservatives are getting right, how they can do better, and what the future holds for education and the right.
Event Materials
Agenda
3:30 p.m.
Panel I: Fireside Chat with Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera
Panelists:
Frederick M. Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Michael Q. McShane, Adjunct Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Moderator:
Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Virginia Secretary of Education
4:00 p.m.
Panel II: Education and the Right
Panelists:
Matthew Continetti, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Virginia Secretary of Education
Ramesh Ponnuru, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Ian Rowe, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Moderator:
Frederick M. Hess, Director of Education Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
4:50 p.m.
Q&A
5:00 p.m.
Adjournment