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the new york public library in midtown manhattan, and here in the bartose forum, you will meet a student panel and around the room we have a fantastic group of some of the nation's finest young people. students from all over the country. and so, students, are you all ready to get on a popping? [ applause ] that is reaction i was hoping. no now our correspondents maria and luke russert are here with us. you can submit questions and

ideas at #ednatsd. now as you hear about the big questions of education, we are turning to the students. joining me is a 14-year-old from r redman, washington, and she is author of three books -- yes, i said that -- and daughter orf a teacher and activist. and carlos cruz from pasadena, california. he dropped out of high school and eventually return and now works with at-risk youth to keep them on the right path. over here next to me is jennifer earlman an 18-year-old college senior at the university of arizona. on the other side of me is -- i know, i keep saying these amazing things, right. and nakil who has written a book "one size does not fit all" and finally a freshman at the miami-dade community college and you might recognize her, because a couple of weeks ago she

introduced dr. jill biden at the democratic national convention in charlotte, north carolina. but first the results of the poll we took in the room. when asked what the purpose of a high school education is, 26% of you said to learn how to learn. 51% said to get into college. 12% said to prepare for a job. good, because there are none. and 10% said to learn how to be a citizen. n now, back to the pabl. all right, folks. i want to start with you, adorea, because you have a ted talk which is titled "what adults can learn from kids." in the aer rea of education, wh can adults learn from kids? >> well, i feel like it is es is sen shall to have students entering the conversation like we are doing today, because we are really the largest stakeholders in the education as the customers. so around this issue i feel that the adults can learn creativity and learning how to be empathetic to the lives that we have as students.

>> i like that, creativity and impulsive impullivety of students. and carlos, is that part of the work you are doing with the work of at-risk youth? >> yes, definitely. coming from the background that these youths are coming from helps you to understand where they are coming from. most of the time you realize that the kids are going through the hardships and schools don't understand, and the most important thing that is missing from the educational area is basically relationship. i think that schools are looking in learning how to build the relationship with the student as the customer to provide a better education. >> yeah, like this language of relationship, because it is one of my favorite things as a teacher is to have relationships with the students. and luke, you have a student with you right now, and what are your questions right there? >> and you caught me tweeting

here. >> well, you are allowed to tweet in the class. >> we have a question about the subsidized student loan rates which is hot button issue on capitol hill, and what do you want to say, mabel? >> well, george w. bush signed a bill that cut the interest rates in half on the subsidized loans until 2013, and the low interest rates are set to expire july 1st going back to 6.8 as opposed to the now current 3.band it baffls me that students like myself who have to take out loans have to not know what to expect next year if the bill isn't passed or extended for late bit longer. >> and it is an interesting point, professor, because you have the children's futures in the hands of politicians who use it as a wedge year to year and one of the reasons that in happened is that nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of student loan reform in election year. is that fair to the students

that their education is up in a ball all of the time? >> well, yes, with this issue of uncertainty and you were talking about the empathy, and you all, and nicole, excuse me, angie, you were at the dnc talking about the impor tarns tance of colleges and the junior colleges and how does the student loans impact the types of decisions you make about education? >> well, it is a major impact for it, because i have students in my college that i am constantly surrounded by that this fkt as 100%. it affects whether they go the school or whether they decide i can't afford school and i will just have to take up a regular job somewhere else and i won't be able to go on and reach that goal that i have to get my education, and that is a major impact. and when individuals see this, they need to take the students' lives into consideration, because these are our lives, and the fact that we can't reach our goals, because we can't pay for school is horrible. >> it feels like there is something missing in this

country, when students with the capacity, and the drive and the desire are unable to meet dreams because of money. now over to the you, mara, because you have another young person. >> yes, a perfect segue, because joshua is beginning the college education process, and he is worried how his socioeconomic background might be a barrier. >> as a senior applying to colleges and my dream schools and take advantage of my high school with six ap classes and i have won a distinguished honor this this city of, and numerous awards and i still feel that because of my background, because of maybe the size of my pocket, i might not be enough, and i think that the argument is that if you are getting a lot of choices and you take full advantage of them and it might not be enough. that is something that i'm concerned with, and everybody in this room that even if we try

our best it might not be enough. >> there is still enough opportunities give ten financial -- given financial restrictions. >> yes. and i love that u.t. is one of your dream schools and grab my guy over there in the corner, and remind him of that. i think that is interesting that i have taken advantages, and i still might not have choices. >> i think one thing is that kids have to focus on being the captains of the education, and leverage the passions and let them be in control and we have to stop the drill kill bubble fill culture around the schools and the testing regime that is taking over our country, and let teachers teach, and give them enough pay and autonomy and let the students be students and have control and be in control and have that opportunity to mold and shape their education. >> that one got applause.

>> i can say as shn womeone who taught at multiple universities i have students with high test score scores and some who don't have test scores so high, but that drive and interest and education and the fact that in this room so many of you are interested in learning for the purposes of learning and becoming good citizens, i think that those are the things that make a college classroom so much better. everyone, i want you to hang tight a little bit, because we are just getting started. when we come back, the way to keep students in school. [ applause ] hello, my name is matthew, and i'd like to discuss some of the problems in the education system. a simple solution is to update the way we teach our students. some teachers do not know how to open up internet explorer. integrate computers into the learning experience and make school a place that the students want to go and not a place they have to. bob...

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welcome back to our education nation student town hall. i'd like to start by bringing in my colleague, nbc news correspondent luke russert. he's out in the audience with information for us on school dropout rates. >> it's interesting melissa, for the status dropout rate which is the number of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school or who have earned a high school credential that was 8.3% as of 2010. that is 3.3 million young people who have dropped out of school.

alarmingly high number. there is some good, however. there is some silver lining here. we noticed that in the last year since 2010, the amount of kids who actually finished high school is 73.4%. so that's the highest level of completion since the late 1970s. someone who did complete that is with me right now. the great denzel perry. denzel is an extraordinary young man from comppton, california, and lost members of his family to gang violence and surrounded by a lot of difficult circumstances and yet, now he is a freshman tot university of california irvine and wants to become a judge some day. tell us about your amazing story of overcoming all obstacles, what it took and what is the message that you want to give to everyone here today who could face similar circumstances that you did. >> good evening everyone. first off, i wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the boys and girls club. i'm a product of the boys and girls club since the anyone of six. [ applause ]

>> let's give them a round of applause. great organization. [ applause ] >> and the organization has literally motivated and shaped me to the man i am today. it enabled me to reach object -- to reach all of my goals and aspirations and continue to push me today. now representing the pacific region as the youth of the year for the boys and girling club of america. literally, throughout my life there's been a lot of obstacles and challenges. growing up in a community where success is measured by the amount of cars you drive rather than academic accomplishments. growing up in a community where your mother works two full-time jobs to provide a roof over your head. this was something going on in my life, even have to walk down the streets and getting shot at and running into the boys and girls club gates. where the staff risked their own lives to protect mine. and literally if it weren't for that particular organization i would not be standing here today

and they continued to push me with my educational endeavors and i want all children to take advantage of the afterschool programs and the programs available in the community. because every 26 seconds one student drops out of school. because of that statistic, the boys and girls club service, 4500 boys and girls club serving millions of kids daily. and i know that it's 4.5 million kids today that's not going to drop out of school and some 4.5 million kids in this world that has goals of post secondary education and so i just want to encourage them to press forward and be involved in whatever they can do. because my life great future started at the boys and girls club. >> melissa, it is interesting what denzelle is touching on today, while there are certainly a lot of issues at school, having a safe place to go once the school day is complete is so very important and it can really mean the difference of a lot of kids' lives. testament here of 1a and let's give denzel a round of a plauz.

what an extraordinary guy. [ applause ] >> carlos, i want to give you a moment to respond. we've heard denzel's story, ebony boykin's story earlier in the show. these individual stories of amazing success, we have to applaud them. we heard that structures matter, opportunities matter. talk to me about that. >> definitely structure matters. i think the most important thing when you come from a middle class family, you're run on a schedule. you have a schedule. you go to tutoring, you come home, you have practice, you have family time. when you come from poverty, there is no schedule. you're the manager of your own schedule. what ends up happening is the interest of a young person who is managing their own schedule, i was more interested in going to soccer practice than on doing my homework. i didn't have that person telling me that i had to do my homework, that i had to do this and that. but structure, it's key. so that's why in the line of work that i do now i'm a mentor and my official job title is a chaser. what i do is i chase kids into school. >> ah.

>> it's very interesting work. it started because i was a dropout. i understand and i can put myself in their shoes and walk that line and understand what they're going through. yeah, i chase them in and i manage their schedules. because i know that no one else might not be there to do it or their parent might not have the time to do it. structure is key. >> thank you so much to carlos as well as to denzel. we're going to give you guys one more poll to take. this one will bring up a lot in the next segment. what do you think about computers in the classroom? are they essential, useful, neutral, a small distraction or harmful? when we come back, the results and a look at a new program that could revolutionize the way the classroom works. [ applause ] to my best friend. i told her i wasn't feeling like myself... i had pain in my pelvic area... and bleeding that wasn't normal for me.

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for a body in motion. before the break i asked our audience if computers in the

classroom are essential, useful, neutral, a small distraction or harmful. here are the results. 38% said essential. 40% useful. 13 said neutral and 6% say that those computers are a small distraction. 3% of them are like this is just harmful. whatever your opinion about technology in schools, you can't argue with this fact, the digital upgrade of the nation's classroom is big business. now, last year "the new york times" reported sales of computer software to schools for classroom use is $1.89 billion in 2010. spending on hardware estimated at five times that amount. but is the investment in classroom technology paying off for students? our colleagues at weekend nightly news found that at one school in arizona the answer at least seems to be yes.

>> this is carp a diem. a charter school that opened seven years for students in grades 6 through 12. >> this is my seventh grade language arts course. >> reporter: all 240 students spend 2/3 of the day completing coursework and listening to online lectures. in addition to core subjects like math and science, there is a wide range of electives. >> the red means you are behind and the need to catch up and the green means you are okay in your courses. >> reporter: the students are allowed the move ahead once a task is complete. >> in history ki go ahead. >> reporter: or spend more time on a more difficult subject.

>> i feel less pressure. i don't have to compare myself to other people. >> the experience isn't just about computer-based learning. students spend time in classrooms where they participate in group workshops and can have one-on-one time with teachers. >> a student who doesn't understand, say, dividing fractions, they've listened to the lecture on the computer but they still don't get it, they can come to the workshop and ask our math teacher, please explain this another way. >> you have on your computer learning and then you have classroom learning, two different styles. but they fit together really well. >> with just four academic teachers, organizers say it's cost effective too. still, there are critics. >> the integration of technology into the classrooms is very scattered. there simply is not enough research. >> teachers are quick to point out this time of blended learning is not for everyone. test results are encouraging. 90% of students at carpe diem are proficient in core subjects compared to 70% statewide. >> i enjoy the new style of learning. >> reporter: isaac harvey and two of ohis siblings attended the school where textbooks and live lectures are not the only things missing.

>> no homework policy. >> that probably makes you feel really sad. >> oh, it's tragic. so tragic. >> mom and dad say this approach teaches more than academics. >> there's going to be a point in their lives where they have to pace themselves. there will be no teacher over them. >> it's not like a high school where you go to class, you have to grab this and take advantage of it. >> lessons that go beyond the classroom, equipping students with the ability to seize success. >> rehema ellis, nbc news, yuma, arizona. >> all right. one of the members of our panel, jennifer earlman is a graduate of carpe diem. i got to tell you, when i saw this, i wanted to pass out. it really stressed me out as a traditional teacher to see a classroom that looks like that. you make the case to me for why you think it's a great place to go to school. >> honestly, you get to go at your own pace. you're not held back by students who aren't moving as quickly as you are. you're able to get ahead of your game. you're able to work through the tedium of certain lessons that you're like oh, my gosh, i already know this.

i've been through this before, we learned this last year. you give a child a computer and you give them the world essentially, what you're doing is here is all of the information that the congregant has come up with, and now i am giving you the tools to g get the information and internalize it yourself. >> so any reactions from the folks on the panel? yeah? >> one of the most important things you have to remember is that technology is a tool. i mean, right now if you look at that classroom, i mean, the best way to learn something is not through a lecture. it's through doing something, through exploring, through creating that's when the real learning happens. . we need to move to that. bring in technology and social media. but we need that human interaction. teachers right now are going to be turning to facilitators and it's going to turning into project-based learning and hands-on activities and going in the world and doing it. that's how learning needs to happen. that's not really the right model. >> any other reaction toss what you saw there? >> i think it's a great plan for middle class people.

this will never work for dropouts. you cannot drag in dropouts and put them in front of the computer and expect them to learn. you are to build that relationship. it all falls back to relationship. if you don't have a relationship with your teachers or mentors or tutors, they won't do any work on a computer. >> mara, i understand that you have a student who is interested in these issues. [ applause ] >> you might not like the idea of having a classroom full of cell phones, that's what jeremiah is here to talk about. jeremiah is a high school student in new york. like most students, he's not allowed to bring his cell phone to the class with him. he thinks students could benefit from that. tell me your question. >> good morning, i have a question and solution. the question is why is it that the teachers believe that having a mobile device in their hand will actually work for us when we cannot have one for ourselves? and the solution that i have is

a local ideas festival. local ideas festival is my big idea. it's called envision u. composed of a team of six individuals, we have it so we have young men of color envisioning themselves in places of success and graduating from high school. i wanted to know how do you feel about student organizations that are sponsored by, let's say, foundations in. >> since we're talking about technology, let's tackle the cell phone issue first. is it possible to integrate cell phones and smartphones into the classroom and the learning experience? >> i hope so. i think of this town hall as a big classroom, and we are asking you to be tweeting and texting in the moment. i'm a little bit more on the human interaction side where we is to integrate, but i so want my students with me, and looking at me and talking to me. i figure that you have to be a really great lecturer if your students have technology other, because you have to be more interesting than e-mail and facebook, right? there are ways to contribute.

luke, i know you have a student with a question on this. >> that's right. i'm here with tiara. she's from the bronx. she has an interesting question and comment about technology in school. >> well, mostly a statement. basically, when i was in high school i was going to a technology-based high school, but when i got there, there were no type of technology whatsoever. so basically, i felt that i wasn't getting that help that i could have used. but during my senior year, we finally got computers, but then after that, i felt i could have did better my freshman and sophomore and junior year, and now the school doesn't exist, because all of the students failed or dropped out or got low on the regents, so the school had to close down because of the lack of technology. >> angie, i wonder if what you're hearing here is about this resource deprivation that you talked about. >> i think that when it comes to and we're considering as you mentioned the middle class family and the ideal wealthy

individuals, then yes, technology is a great source and it does open the world to us. but at times students, for example, where i live and where i come from, we don't have all of those resources. everybody is not able to access internet. everybody is not able to access computers. unless they are in the school building where there is that access, then that becomes difficult. and that's why that one-on-one interaction is important, that support system that the institution gives is important for students. >> absolutely. i'll give you one last word on this. do you have a sense of response to how this technology integrates with the lessons that adults can learn from kids? >> i do. i think that the important thing is that computers provide a lot of autonomy. people as far as the independence that jennifer mentioned, controlling the pace of our own learning. i feel like another important thing is it shifts the role. of the teacher away from rela g relaying information to the role

of facility tor which i feel is more genuine and important in the learning world. so ideally, it shift tgs roles of the teachers and the students into a way that is more powerful in learning. >> that is important to me, because sometimes i want to tell you all things, and it's good to know that sometimes i have to sit back and listen and maybe part of how you all communicate with us as teachers. is through the technology. when we come back, a living legend joins us here on stage. a man who made his just by going to school. >> how you doing. my name is tyrone. has had an adverse effect on students. due to the longer school day is that some of us have jobs. we're already pressed for time. make time to do our homework, projects that we have and we also have other siblings we have to watch. now we have a longer school day with less time to do homework and less time to work. when some of our family does need that job, because times are hard now. oh no, not a migraine now. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache.

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we've been speaking about finding solutions for today's education problems and being agents of change. now, if we need example ps of students who have taken courageous steps who have taken those changes, we need only look in our own past. on september 25th, 1957, nine brave young people helped to integrate central high school in little rock, arkansas. they were subjected to a hostile crowd and had to be escorted by the screaming eagles of the 101st airborne. in spite of the odds, only senior among the little rock nine graduated in may of 1958 from the previously all-white school. his place in civil rights history is solidified. along with the proof that no matter one's age, anyone can make a lasting difference. it is truly an honor to have ernest green, one of the little rock nine, here with us now. [ applause ]

>> it's pretty amazing that you can inspire that sort of reaction from a crowd of young people who were born so far after these events. >> who were, in fact, this week i will be back in little rock. there are eight of us who are still alive. and we're recognizing the city of little rock is recognizing the 25th of september, the date that president eisenhower sent in the 101st airborne to escort us into the school. so it's amazing. i think all the rap you hear about this generation not being involved, this debunks all of that. to each of you, i applaud you for your efforts in trying to

reform education. you are the ultimate customer and you should have the ultimate say on what it is that you are receiving, and i feel very proud to be a part of this. >> let me ask you about that language. i heard several of the students use that language of being the customer of the school. when i look at what the little rock nine did, i see you as citizens making a claim on the rights that you have, fundamentally, inherently as citizens. not only as citizens, but young people living here and so even though who are not themselves citizens as the dreamer e s hs taught us, but your rights as young people in the country, and have we moved to some sort of d different model when students are customers instead of kids? >> i think they are both kids and customers. my view, my personal view was that as a student growing up in little rock, i wanted to change the environment around me.

i mean, i saw central and passed it everyday. it was something that was part of my community, but i also saw the impact of what was happening with the civil rights movement. i saw the emmett till murder that impacted me, the montgomery bus boycott, and obviously, the impact of the 1954 supreme court decision. so, all of these events were going on and i said as a student, if i have an opportunity to change things around me, i want to be part of that change agent. i see these young people both as customers and as change agents. they know more about the technology, they have an idea of what the labor market is looking like. they know -- in fact, they probably have more information than most of their parents. >> probably. luke, i know you have a question from a student. >> joshua from the bronx who has a question for mr. green. >> yes. i am a part of the urban ambassador program.

it's a program that encourages young men of color to graduate high school and proceed to attend college. how do you feel about programs exist like this growing up in the civil rights era? >> i think all efforts to stimulate and have young people to understand the importance of education is necessary. we wouldn't have made it through that year at central without the support of large numbers of people and particularly parents and adults who saw this as a 15-year-old, 15, 16-year-old, you believe you can walk through a brick wall. >> right. >> there is nothing that can stop you. but if you're an adult having to pay the mortgage and the car payments and all of that, you realize that there are limitations. but we were supported by adults and community that saw few limitations and believed that the future could be a lot better

than the present. >> are there any of the members of this panel who have a question for mr. green in. >> yes. i'm wondering what you think about socioeconomic and racial equity in education to the and how it's -- how some of the same problems still exist? >> in many communities, we see a reversal that schools are more segregated than they were in 1957. i think the challenge for all of us in this room and in the broader audience is to try and have as many relationships beyond your comfort zone. the ability to reach out and get to know other people, other cultures, other ideas because once you get as an adult, the world that's expanding out there is very broad picture. >> i got to say, for you to characterize in part your

activism as moving beyond your comfort zone has got to be the understatement of the century. all of us are in debt to what you and your colleagues made a choice to do and you're a testament to the fact that no matter how bleak a system looks, it can be changed, and it can be changed by the young people who are part of it. up next are students' ideas for solutions. stay with us. i attend the school of computer animation and design. i'm in the ninth grade. i think that a big problem in schools today is that classes aren't engaged in -- the solution i have for that is teachers should put some pizzazz in their presentations. put animations on a power point. have games in class. more experiments in science. energy bill down to size?

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we've been talking a little bit about the civil rights movement that changed the country. no one was more committed that ensuring that young people could set their own course in the american civil rights movement than ella baker. baker once said that strong people don't need strong leaders. she was convinced that young people could develop and implement their own solutions. in the spirit of ella baker, let's hear from students. mara, who is that with you? >> melissa, i'm with madut.

he's 13 years old. he's already published a book. it's called "am i ready for middle school." as an author, what are some solutions you have to what we've discussed here today? >> a major thing for students in middle school is goal-setting. that was one thing that really helped me. being able to set goals and know where you're headed for and no what you're trying to accomplish in school is a good thing. i know i have four siblings. my family is very busy. and we're on a very tight schedule. me knowing like when i have to get my homework done, when i'm going to do sports was definitely a thing for me. goal-setting is a definite thing. >> great. thank you very much. >> interesting to be hearing about the ked yule iing -- scheduling, because that is something that we heard from the panel that was so key for students to be on a predictable schedule. >> i read his book last night to my daughter who is starting middle school. luke, you've got some folks with you over there.

>> i'm here with alex and ryan. alex wants to talk about an interesting program run by the special olympics called unified sports. >> well, me and my brother a couple years ago joined this program called unified sports. and they have volleyball and basketball. i feel like it's a great way for special needs kids like him to help gain more friends throughout the school and stuff like that. i think it is really important for our country, to, you know, grasp >> does more need to be done to . include special needs students in terms of extracurricular activities? we often say they're often the first to be forgotten. >> luke, i so appreciate your comment, guys, because it is a reminder that i think that we have talked a little bit about the issues of class and race, but it is a reminder that the issue of difference is much broader than that and our commitment to social mobility in public education means every kind of student, so i appreciate that. mara, you have another student with you. >> i'm here with shaylah.

she has a program for people who are not interested in education. in higher education and this is a group we don't often talk about. >> i attend the fashion industries and my school mostly prepares us for college readiness and career readiness, but my solution is what about the kids who don't want to take the educational route where they go straight to college and they want a career. like i feel like there should be more options for those kids. i don't want people to forget about the kids. >> you've addressed this issue. different routes. what is your response? >> i think that one of the most important things that we have to understand is that so many kids have different abilities and desires and not pigeon hole them into a traditional path. not every kid should go the college. there should be options for these kids and many different options. we shouldn't be inat this

gaiting vocational schools. allowing people to live their dreams. the question i like to pose, how can we make school the best hours of a kid's day. how can we make kids love going to school? that's when we know the system is finally working, when they love going to school each and every day. >> i love that as a measurement. [ applause ] >> i love that as a measurement, not your bubbles on your test and where you fall on the scan tron sheet but whether or not there's a passionate joy engagement with learning. jennifer, i have to laugh, because you came from carpe diem, and you were studying in college human communications? >> that's right. i'm studying human communication at arizona state university. >> as you're looking at the questions of mr. green's experience and the civil rights movement, what is it about human communication, despite learning on computers, compels you sm.

>> it doesn't mean face to face communication. there are computer assisted forms of communication. that just human communication interests me because i want to know why we communicate the way we do. why do we speak in the cadence that we do. why are certain techniques more effective than others. really, you know, the face to face factor at carpe diem is there. it's there. i mean -- >> there's a way in which all of it is part of our human communication. quickly to luke. in which all of it is part of our human communication. we'll go quickly to luke, do you have additional students for us? >> i'm here with travis and raheem. travis, what were you talking about? >> there's actually two things, but for me, i'm travis, i'm a member of the irvin ambassadors. and i noticed with the common core and other things like that they put an emphasis on academ c academi academics, which is one aspect of education, but i believe there's more than one aspect with education. they need programs to help with social schools and unity like the irvin ambassadors program.

>> are we doing enough to make students well-rounded in a complete way? >> i love that. that goes back to the question we have to ask. we have to create whole people to contribute to it to be part of our society. stay right there. a little more after the break. for what's around this corner... and the next. there's cash flow options from pnc. solutions to help businesses like yours accelerate receivables, manage payments, and help ensure access to credit. because we know how important cash flow is to reaching your goals. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. pnc bank. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself.

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welcome back to the education nation student town hall. before we go, i want to get in as many additional voices as we can. mara, you have someone with. >> you >> i'm here we thank, he's a high school student waiting patiently the entire show to operate solutions, so here you go. >> i want to talk about how teachers are not being treated properly and respected in across the world, across the united states. and the reality is, the reality is it is time to let teachers teach again. it is time to let them do what they were trained to do rather than let administrators tell them who have never been teaching in their lives. administrators need to take a step back and let teachers have for freewill in the students

because we human beings are not products. that's really important to us for advancement and to develop the world. >> man, i'm taking you home with me. luke. >> i'm here with helen to talk about after school programs. >> well, i just wanted to bring out that colleges, like, well-rounded kids, students. and after-school programs will help us be that. so i'm protesting more after-school programs for helping us to stay out of trouble and learn more than what regular school teaches us. >> more funding for after school programs, something we have heard amongst a lot of kids at this wonderful town hall. >> i love it. i love respect for teachers, i love the idea of students making their own way and i also appreciate all the leadership i have seen both on this panel and in this audience. you all are extraordinary. i could stay with you for another hour, but i can't. so i want to thank my student panel for being here today.

adora, carlos, jennifer, nakil and angie. and, of course, thank you to earnest greene. luke russert and mara scavo-campo. and thank you to all of you for the first education nation town hall. and thank you to education nation for collecting the student videos you have seen throughout the morning and thanks to all of you here in the audience. at the end of this day i'm convinced of one thing, when students suggest education solutions, they are motivated by the desire to have better schools and brighter futures. you are not looking to turn a profit or protect an entrenched interest or advance a political candidate. you know that you are entitled to a quality education. so let's make sure that your voices get heard. please visit the website, educationnation.com and continue to make your voices heard, offer

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