“Ideas that matter,
since 1965.”

Ripon Forum
Vol. 42, No. 3

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A Note From the Chairman Emeritus

Twenty five years ago this spring, the Reagan Education Department released “A Nation at Risk,” a landmark study that found that America’s educational system was failing our students and, in the process, putting our future in jeopardy.

By Ripon Society

The Changing Face of American Students

This year’s high school graduating class is not only the largest in U.S. history. It’s also the most diverse.

By Ripon Society

What are “World Class” Schools?

It’s a commonly asked question. but until we make education a higher national priority, it’s also a question that will go unanswered.

By Ripon Society

The American Classroom in 2028

According to the former Secretary of Education, the biggest change in schools in the next 20 years will not be driven by the role of technology, but rather by the role of parents.

By Ripon Society

Six Years After No Child Left Behind

Reauthorizing this law will take more than lofty rhetoric. It will also take concrete proposals to empower parents, support states and local communities, and improve classroom instruction.

By Ripon Society

The Unheeded Threat

By failing to provide our students with an adequate math and science education, we are also compromising our future security.

By Ripon Society

Debate

Is Merit Pay for Teachers Good? Yes.

Other industries regular give bonuses to high performing employees. Why don’t schools?

By Ripon Society

Debate

Is Merit Pay for Teachers Good? No.

The question isn’t how to differentiate pay between teachers. The question is hot to pay teachers a salary that encourages the creation of great public schools for every child.

By Ripon Society

Mortgaging Our Future

Perhaps it is time to restore our faith in the power of markets, not governments, in lending.

By Ripon Society

On Teaching War: The Future of Professional Military Education

In the future, the attribute most needed by military officers is the critical thinking skills that come from a graduate education program

By Ripon Society

Time to Rethink Ethanol

If ethanol has economic merit, no government support is necessary. If it doesn’t, then no amount of government support will change that fact.

By Ripon Society

The Ripon Profile of Jon M. Huntsman

Government should engage in partnerships with the private sector to fund strong research institutes to focus innovation and creativity around the big issues affecting us.

By Ripon Society

The Ripon Profile of Jon M. Huntsman

Name: Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

Occupation: Governor of the State of Utah

Previous Jobs: U.S. Trade Ambassador (2001-2003); U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, (1992-1993); Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Trade Development Bureau (1989-90), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for East Asia and the Pacific

Individual(s) who inspired me as a child: My Uncle Hal Robison gave me better perspective about the world around me. He was a humble prairie philosopher and World War II veteran who believed in the role of the individual in our society. I learned from him that the value of our government resides with the people it serves.

Historical figure(s) I would most like to meet: President Theodore Roosevelt. He was so many things, as a great head of state, philosopher, peacemaker, environmentalist, father, Nobel Prize recipient, just to begin. He managed to accomplish everything one could ever want to do in life, all before the age of 48.

Issue facing America that no one is talking about: The most fundamental of all issues for government is to provide support for basic scientific research. It is research that will ultimately address our needs in transportation, environment, medical science and health care, and by doing so we will spawn the new generation of jobs and economic success for our country. Government should engage in partnerships with the private sector to fund strong research institutes to focus innovation and creativity around the big issues affecting us. We need to invest in a nation- building exercise, in the form of basic and advanced research, in our own country.

What the Republican Party must do to be successful in the elections this year: We need to reestablish our foundation as the Republican Party, focusing on our commitment to free markets, a strong defense system and confident foreign policy. The existence of our party rests on actively listening to the voter and providing equal doses of inspiration and solutions.

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