On December 7, 2010, The Innovation Economy partners hosted "Education for Innovation," a live digital town hall discussion on how we can create the next generation of innovators.

During the town hall, new international rankings were announced comparing U.S. students to their peers around the world, providing the framework for a discussion on how we can cultivate tomorrow’s thinkers and entrepreneurs and maintain U.S. national competitiveness.

Town Hall Overview

• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary General of OECD Angel Gurría presented the 2009 PISA results in math, science and reading literacy, providing a comparative ranking of U.S. students to other countries around the world. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is an internationally standardized assessment administered to 15-year-olds, that has been carried out around the world in 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009.
• Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent for PBS NewsHour, moderated a two-way conversation with Secretary Duncan and students, teachers and administrators from Olin College of Engineering (Needham, Mass.) and the School of Science and Engineering Magnet (Dallas, TX).
• Robert D. Atkinson, President of The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) discussed the results of a new report on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education released that morning.
• Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute, moderated a discussion with Thomas Friedman, author and columnist, on U.S. competitiveness, innovation and economic growth.

This event was presented in partnership with The Aspen Institute, PBS NewsHour, Intel Corporation and The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF).