Putting Students First

In this public education keynote, the founder and CEO of StudentsFirst reiterates the need for today's education systems to place students first. Backed up by shocking numbers and statistics on spending, Rhee paints a very clear picture of important decisions in education being driven by the interests of adults and special interest groups. Simply put, today's system values adults' needs over those of students.

An overwhelmingly large number of politicians, educators and policy makers are convinced that one change or alteration in spending will fix every problem in the system, but this could not be more wrong. Investing more money in schools -- a popular solution in the eyes of many -- is not going to solve the problem. One of the most pressing issues is the fact that more and more money is being misspent in education every year. There is a huge disconnect between the amount of money being spent and the progress of the system.

Rhee's public education keynote, while rather alarming, makes a strong and promising case for the future of education in the United States once resources are properly allocated and the needs of students prioritized.