What We’re Reading – Page 3 – Building a Learning Society

How to Save theAmerican Experiment

To support human prosperity in the next decade and beyond, we need bold institutional experiments. In this op-ed, Yale Law School professor John Fabian Witt argues that America can overcome its current democratic crisis by learning from the 1920s, when civil society institutions and philanthropy responded to eerily similar conditions as today with transformative new models of economic organization like industrial unions and civil rights movements that ultimately led to the New Deal and civil rights era.

The Future Of Education: Rethinking What We Know

Erin Mote calls for a broad shift in our understanding of education: moving from industrial-age schooling models that prioritize content delivery and standardization to information-age learning systems that teach students agency, individuality, and critical thinking.

The Age of De-Skilling

Forget the apocalypse — AI's real threat is quieter: the erosion of our own abilities. As machines handle more cognitive work, we risk atrophying skills we’ve come to rely on, from interpreting literature to legal analysis. Kwame Anthony Appiah asks: How do we harness AI to elevate human work without becoming passive reviewers of systems we no longer understand?

For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies

Renée DiResta and Rachel Kleinfeld argue that traditional top-down communications strategies are fast becoming obsolete. Scholars and policy organizations can’t rely on their credentials and prestige alone. To connect with modern audiences, legacy institutions must understand how the new media landscape emphasizes authenticity, resonance, and audience engagement above all.

Rethinking Internships to Let Students ‘Try On’ Purpose

Work Shift Teach for America CEO Aneesh Sohoni argues for work experiences that combine skill-building, income, and social impact. Teach For America’s Ignite Fellowship lets college students “try on” purpose-driven careers while addressing urgent needs in local communities.

America’s Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?

The New York Times Jia Lynn Yang examines how the shift from factories and farms to offices led to the rise of a schooled society. The resulting standardization, increased workloads, and reduced play have contributed to rising mental health diagnoses among students. All this begs the question: Is school the best way to learn?