A Search for Common Good

How can educators cut through the noise and have honest conversations about the future of education?

In this timely follow-up to their PROSE Award–winning A Search for Common Ground, veteran education scholars Frederick M. Hess and Pedro A. Noguera return to the issues shaping today's schools. Moving past performative partisanship, the authors model thoughtful disagreement, intellectual humility, and evidence-based dialogue. Reflecting on five years of dramatic shifts in education policy, Hess and Noguera find themselves increasingly united in challenging political tribalism to focus on meaningful solutions for K–12 and higher education.

Through candid, research-grounded exchanges, the authors explore pressing topics facing educators, parents, policymakers, and students. Key discussions examine the future of the U.S. Department of Education, DEI, artificial intelligence in schools, social media and student well-being, censorship and book bans, school choice, career and technical education, the science of reading, declining birth rates, and democratic education.

Rather than offering easy answers or ideological talking points, Hess and Noguera illuminate systemic complexity and reveal unexpected consensus. Ideal for K–12 and higher education practitioners, school leaders, and teacher educators, this essential volume demonstrates how respectful debate and an understanding of real-world trade-offs can guide the future of education policy.