Free to Teach: Democracy, Citizenship and the Search for Knowledge

The American education system is under intense scrutiny amidst fights over free speech, curriculum and cultural diversity while simultaneously facing the threat of historic cuts in resources, from urban and rural kindergartens to Ivy League and state universities. What do Americans stand to lose without a robust commitment to both academic freedom and public funding for basic and higher education? What critiques of our education system are fair and how much have politics intruded on teaching and learning? Columbia University President Emeritus Lee C. Bollinger and journalist James Traub discuss how the classroom is at the forefront of the battle for core American values under the First Amendment, and the mission of educating a new generation in engaged democratic citizenship.