Author Steven Brill Discusses Education Reform

Author and journalist Steven Brill YC '72, LAW '75 discussed education reform with Yale SOM students at an October 22 event sponsored by the Education Club. Brill's most recent book is Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools.

"If there were ever a world-class organization and management problem, this is it," Brill said, pointing to the system's contentious teacher performance evaluation issues, the debate over unions, and the difficulty of finding teachers who can maintain their level of dedication as they become more senior.

Afterwards, Anna Grotberg '13, a co-leader of the Education Club, said that Yale SOM is producing the kind of leaders that the education sector needs. "We have a roomful of students here who want to take on these challenges," she said.

Betty Ho '13, also a co-leader, said that students were excited to get Brill's perspective. "It's great to have a journalist highlighting what the different stakeholders are saying and how all these disparate people are coming together on this issue," Ho said.

Yale SOM's Education Club supports events that address topics at the intersection of business and education. Each spring the club hosts the Yale SOM Education Leadership Conference, which draws top professionals working in the education sector.