Will U.S. colleges and universities lead or lag in education innovation?

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In this century, education has become the most critical adaptive function in the competitive, global knowledge economy. Yet production of more college graduates alone will not help the United States lead the world. What type of evolutionary change must the nation unleash to not only deal with the challenges of educating an increasingly diverse population, but also to provide the kind of lifelong education the modern economy requires?

A panel of leaders in higher education addressed this question before an audience of more than 200 at a forum hosted by Arizona State University at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The panel included Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University; Jeff Selingo, senior editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education; Kevin Carey, director of the Education Policy Program of the New American Foundation; Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education; and Matt Leavy, chief executive officer of Pearson eCollege. Soraya Gage, general manager of NBC Learn and Education Nation, moderated the panel.

The conversation ranged on topics from technology and the delivery of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCS), to the value of higher education and providing greater opportunity for students from broader socioeconomic demographics.